giving back

Service Ideas: 10 Ways to Help You and Others Relax

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So another Christmas has come and gone, and Hanukkah and Kwanzaii will end soon, so at least the stress of preparing for the holidays is over or about to end. It's time to clean up, have fun with your kids while they're home for Christmas break, and relax. It's as important as ever that you take time for yourself. One way to gain a respite that is truly peaceful is to serve someone. If you keep your eyes open for little opportunities to help someone outside of your immediate circle, you will find them. We challenge you to take this week's Season of Service challenge and help someone else relax.

10 Bite-Size Ideas to Help Someone Else Relax

  1. Babysit another mother's child. One of the most obvious ways to do this, perhaps, is to offer to watch another mother's children while she has a break. Since we've  suggested that before, let us offer a stepped-up version: give her a RedBox rental to go with it.
  2. Double the amount you prepare for dinner tonight and take half of it to a lonely neighbor.
  3. Search for geocaches with the keyword "relax" in their title, then, if there's one near you, take someone who could be a new friend with you to find it.
  4. Look up "respite care" nonprofits on GreatNonprofits.org to find an organization in your area for whom you could volunteer one time to supervise a person with disabilities while his or her caregiver gets a much-needed opportunity to relax.
  5. Find your local United Way and ask if they have a volunteer opportunity like this one with a hospice organization for massage therapy (if you have massaging skills).
  6. Ride the bus tomorrow to work or to a local museum, to see if it is, as they say, more relaxing than driving.
  7. Send a tweet or Facebook comment asking your friends to fill a gallon-size Ziploc bag with simple treats, food, and hygiene items to send to soldiers in remote war zones who need a moment to relax, through Treats For Troops.
  8. Read this article about helping your kids relax out of any post-holiday anxiety.
  9. Donate $10 to Angel Covers, or volunteer as a "think tank member" of Packages of Hope.  Both organizations provide baby bouncers and other supplies that help babies "relax" in something besides a crib, to orphanages in China.
  10. Donate any new or gently-used baby gear (e.g., monitors, blankets, etc.) to Baby Buggy, if you live in Los Angeles or New York. Baby Buggy provides baby gear to needy families so that the parents of those families can relax about the needs of their young ones.

How Will You Give to Others This Week?

  • Have you ever done of these things? How did it go?
  • What other ideas do you have for helping others relax?
  • How have others given to you this week and what difference has that made in your life?

How Else Can You Make a Difference This Season?

Make a meaningful difference this season by taking the Season of Service (SOS) Challenge. Here’s how you can participate:

  • Commit to do one act of kindness/service based on the week’s challenge.
  • Leave a comment with ideas relating to the week’s challenge as well as your experience(s) performing it.
  • Enter to win this week’s giveaway.
  • Join #gno this Tuesday on Twitter to connect with other Mom It Forward moms about the challenge.

 

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