I was in despair about the environmental crisis. Then I volunteered to clean up my local park
Share:
‘Instead of sobbing in front of your computer screen,’ my counsellor said, ‘go out and do something’. There’s a pesky crisp wrapper half-sunk in the mud under brambles. Each time I secure it within the jaws of my litter-picker, another piece tears off. I persist, until all the fragments of coloured foil are in my bin liner. Then I move on.
![[A group of people walking in the woods with a wheelbarrow.]](https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/c8f4c742887695453ed87b74e9fdf998b9b3c554/0_30_721_900/master/721.jpg?width=445&dpr=1&s=none&crop=none)
I’m volunteering with a group at my local park. They perform a range of tasks, but today – my first time – we’re litter-picking. “Aren’t you good?” passersby say, as they walk through the park with their takeaway coffees. Or sometimes: “You’re fighting a losing battle there, love!”.
When our bags are full, we gather for a break, in our fluorescent yellow gilets, drinking tea from flasks, munching apples and tutting over people hanging poo-bags on bushes when there are plenty of dog-waste bins. I arrived this morning on a knife-edge of anger and tears, but this simple, repetitive and collective act has soothed and distracted me from the perpetual doom-scroll of my mind.
It’s easy to assume that the best way to lift your spirits when you’re feeling down is to do something nice for yourself. A hot-stone massage, perhaps? An online shopping spree? However, research suggests that altruistic acts work better. In one study, participants were assigned actions that benefited either themselves, other individuals or the whole of humanity; those who acted in the interest of others experienced a boost in positive emotions and psychological wellbeing, while those who were tasked with treating themselves kindly did not.
Share:
More for You
Top Followed
Trending
You Might Also Like
