Is it true that focusing on helping other people brings about your own healing?

Question

Can anyone give me any experiences where this approach to life has worked/not worked for them?

Answer 1

I think devoting yourself to others can bring happiness and a sence of purpose. The most rewarding I have found is devoting myself to a woman or whatever it maybee for you. I can't make myself happy but she can make me happy and it makes me happy spending every waking moment thinking how I can make her happy and impvoving our relationship as much as possible.

Answer 2

I think it makes a person less self centered, more aware of what it's like for people who aren't as fortunate as you, more aware of how fortunate you are and makes you feel happy and useful. I've always been a person who tried to help people out, but the people I tried to help were usually my friends who were in the same place pretty much as I was, spiritually, financially, emotionally. Then I started volunteering in a soup kitchen. A lot of the people there have very little. Some don't even have a roof over their heads. They go hungry. Their children go hungry. They have little or no money. Spiritually, they're directionless. I've been with this soup kitchen since it started 2 1/2 years ago and most of the people we started out with are still there. They've changed. They are doing better, they're happier. They really enjoy coming to soup kitchen and it's not only because they get fed food. It is at our church and they get fed spiritual food also if they want it. Our pastor has a discipleship course beforehand that several attend. Some are coming to church. We pray for people and some have found jobs who had been looking for a long, long time. We celebrate their joys with them, cry with them when sorrow comes. Most of all though, we just love them. We sit and eat with them and talk to them and hug them and have become friends. We all (volunteers and the people who come to eat) refer to ourselves as family. This experience has made me so thankful for all that I have. Happy, because of helping and feeling useful and having all these new friends that I would otherwise never have known. It's a wonderful experience. It gives me joy!

Answer 3

In my personal experience, I have found that helping others - when the help is desired - has helped me to gain and keep a more healthy perspective on my own woes.
This much I have experienced, more swift healing of emotional issues, less focus on physical limitations and more focus on capabilites, more focus on the joys of life and relationship and community, less focus on the disruptions caused by family and health issues.
Overall, I believe that reaching out a helping hand or offering my talents and capabilities where needed has helped me to move healing energy through an improved attitude about myself, my circumstances and my physical limitations.
I have read that a good indicator of survivval of things like breast cancer, etc, IS attitude.
So, yes, I'd say this attitude has worked for me.

Answer 4

Helping others has made them and me feel better, even if only on an emotional level. I'm sure it must do good for the soul also.
What is more healing is the act of forgiving yourself for wrongs you have done and the wrongs done to you.This is very important. You can not move forward in the spiritual sense if you harber ill will or hatred. Let it go, and move on. I know, easier said than done. Takes work.
Ask yourself what are the benefits of holding on to something bitter vs the benefits of letting it go. What are you getting from not having forgiveness in your life. What will you get if you do? Usualy takes courage to face these issues, so good luck.

Answer 5

Focusing on others helped me thru the grieving process after the death of a loved one. The week following the funeral I worked at a camp for people with disabilities. I was so focused on assisting campers & ensuring their safety and good times that rather than moping & grieving I celebrated life. It was a reminder to take advantage of all that life provides.

Answer 6

I think that it is a difficult balance to achieve. Helping other people makes you feel better about yourself, but if you doo it too much you end up neglecting yourself, or living your life through others. I think it is best to be nice overall, but remember that there are times when you have just gotta look after number one, and at the end of the day you are the most important for you!

Answer 7

For me, I spent a lot of time being angry by what I have experienced. I've felt emotional pain. One day I met a guy begging on a train. Could give him nothing but my words of compassion because I saw his pain too. I never saw him again, but it inspired me to help others which I now do in my job. I've learned and I am still learning to look at my own life and helping others has helped me to accept my own self worth. Hope this helps.

Answer 8

When you put other peoples' happiness before your own, it can bring you down. You have to be happy/content inside to be able to help anyone else.

Generally, it does make you feel good to be able to help others who have issues you've been through and can relate to or simply give advice to the best of your knowledge. It's my niche in life. I love helping people...if that part of me was taken away, I do believe I'd feel lost!

Answer 9

yea i believe that is true like i'm always so hard on myself for everything but when someone else has a problem i'll stop anything just to help them and i forget about myself and i've learned to be more patient with myself and not be soo hard i approach life differently in helping myself just the way i help others

Answer 10

Mother Theresa. She didn't worry about her own well being. She was centered on others. As a result she became world famous. She handled lepers and never got leprosy. She helped the down trodden. That was her passion. To her, she was rich and fulfilled.