Health and Wellness Blog

More and more people are conscious about their physical health than ever before.

We are serious about what we eat. Just take a look at the flourishing health food stores in our neighbourhoods, organic food sections in grocery stores, the vegetarian options on restaurant menus. If these don't impress you enough, how about this – Canada's Food Guide is the most requested Canadian government publication (only second to the income tax forms).

We are careful about our exercise routine as well. You can see people jogging/ biking, walking dogs, working-out in gyms, or carrying yoga mats down the street all the time… 

How about our mental/spiritual health? Are we mindful of what we think and how we feel? Do we cherish it the same way as we do our physical health?

Consider this old wisdom from the Bible – A cheerful heart is good medicine, but a crushed spirit dries up the bones. Apparen'tly the mind/body connection is nothing new. Remember our heavy-hearted moments when we went through enormous stress (lay-off, divorce, loss of a love one, loss of investment etc.), we had sudden onset back pain, chest pain, high blood pressure, trouble sleeping … or sometimes just out of emptiness/loneliness, we got depression. 

Sure that we can go to our doctors for help, and chances are we get some prescribed drugs. But not many of us want to take medication that easily… so what other options do we have?

Research done by Allan Luks shows that doing good has the power to heal. The finding in his book The Healing Power of Doing Good confirms that when we care for other people we care for ourselves: 95% of the volunteers reported that personal helping on a regular basis gives them an immediate physical feel-good sensation, including warmth, increased energy, and a sense of euphoria, called 'helper's high.'  And it is the process of helping others that is the healing factor, regardless of the kind of help offered or its outcome.

If you are interested to read his book, follow the link underneath to place a hold. And check out more books from the Toronto Public Library on this topic available for you at your fingertips:

    

Wonder where to find a volunteer job? Here is a few websites might interest you:

• Big Brothers Big Sisters.ca: Become a Mentor
• Charity Village: Find Jobs
• City of Toronto: One on One Mentoring Program
• Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre: Volunteers
• The Salvation Army: Volunteering with the Salvation Army
• Toronto Public Library: Volunteering 
• University Health Network: Volunteering at Princess Margaret Hospital
• Volunteer Toronto: Find a Volunteer Position