Particularly at this time of the year, there are so many opportunities to give service to others. Not just monetary help, but actually being involved in helping other human beings. However, if we are active in our substance abuse, we are probably not even doing so well at managing our own lives. Still, the invitation to give service to others is appealing. Why should I help others when I can’t help myself?
The Myopic Lens of Substance Abuse
One of the lesser-known side effects of substance abuse is that it creates a very myopic view of the world for those in active addiction. This is why family, friends, relationships, school, work, and everything else in our life are so impacted by our substance use, as we become focused on our substances ahead of other important people and worthy endeavors.
Have we ever been accused of being selfish? Uncaring? Insensitive to others’ needs? While many in the general population possess these traits, they are even more common and even more pervasive within the population of substance abuse. We lose empathy for others and focus our time and attention on the pursuit of substances above all else.
The Power of Giving Service to Others
One of the most powerful things about offering service to others is that it pulls us out of our own little world and allows us to witness the humanity of others around us. We can witness their challenges and suffering, as well as experience their joys and achievements. Simply being able to be a part of someone else’s life in this way allows us to see something other than our own problems.
While it may seem counterintuitive to try to help others when we don’t feel like we are in control of our own lives, it actually can have the opposite effect. When we give service to other people, we re-evaluate our own lives and see where we may need help too. We gain confidence in our own abilities when we realize that we have value in other people’s lives. Serving is as empowering to us as it is helpful to others.
Lifting Up Others Lifts Us Up Too
Another byproduct of serving other human beings is that by lifting up another person, we lift ourselves up too. There is a level of warmth and love gained from service that is like nothing else in this world. Even more so when we receive gratitude for our help. Both the joy of service and the gratitude we are given have the power to heal our hearts and mend our souls.
Service can be as simple as walking the neighbor’s dog, getting their paper for them, or offering to help with their yard or a project. We can write emails or letters of support to people in the military or run errands for someone with small children. Even in the age of social distancing, there are so many ways that we can help other people. Doing these simple acts does not take away from our own problems, but it can lift our hearts and help us feel better about ourselves and our lives.
Rediscovering Empathy Through Service
Because empathy so often goes missing in substance abuse, finding a way to rediscover empathy for others is invaluable to the recovery process. Even if we perform service for people who are not as grateful as we would like, we learn to put ourselves in someone else’s shoes for even just a little while. We can listen and learn what is going on in someone else’s life instead of only focusing on our own. These efforts help to build empathy within us, which in turn can help with our own healing.
Giving Helps Us to Receive
In addition to all of the other positive side effects of service, giving to others helps us prepare to receive help. For example, within recovery, we know that we will need support. Service can not only help us “pay it forward,” it can help us see firsthand the joys and benefits that service brings to those who offer it, and that can help us to be more willing to ask for help from others, knowing that by helping us, they are helping themselves, as well. Helping other people creates a cycle of empathy, love, and understanding like no other. The healing powers of service continue long after we have completed our simple acts of helping those around us.
Why should I help others when I can’t even help myself? Service is a kind act that sets in motion a chain reaction that ultimately can help you as much or more as you help other people. Despite feeling out of control of your own life, by giving a little bit of your time to others, you stand to gain not only some control, but some perspective for yourself. At Rancho Milagro Recovery, we know that by helping others, you help yourself. We know the healing power of empathy and the side effects of serving your fellow human beings. Call us today at (951) 526-4582 to begin your recovery process and learn more about the healing powers of service to others. You can meet our rescue animals, testaments to the power of empathy, and sweet and precious friends in your recovery process. We are waiting for you to help yourself through recovery.