As I have written before moving to a new city all on your own is a brave, scary, and challenging thing to do. I have done it twice now – once for a summer internship and second time for a full-time job and both experiences made me a stronger person.
One way to ease the feeling of loneliness and make some new friends in your new city is to volunteer in the community. Giving back to the communities and organizations that serve us is a great way re-focus our attention and connect with people in a meaningful way. The word volunteering conjures up images of walk for cancer/alzheimer/[insert disease name] or volunteering at a soup kitchen or cleaning up the local park or river. There are hundreds of volunteering opportunities that one can partake in. However, volunteering for the sake of volunteering is no fun and can leave you feeling even more disconnected. Why go through the motions of doing good when you could be in your pjs watching Netflix?
As a little kid I would always play the role of the teacher with my younger sister playing the dutiful role of the student. (She had no free will to say no!) I also had imaginary students. Every day after school I would impart my vast knowledge onto these obedient students and even assign them homework. I wanted to grow up and be a teacher but alas here I am in Marketing.
Education has always been important to me on a personal level and as a cause so I’ve always chosen volunteering opportunities where I can continually boss others around…ahem I mean be a teacher. From being a career coach in undergrad to participating in a Big Brothers Big Sisters workplace mentorship program to spending a few weeks helping out at the local ESL tutoring center to now working for the Santa Clara County Library Reading program, education has always been a central theme in my volunteer opportunities.
As a proud library card carrying member, I happened to check the library emails and came across the reading program. I went to the orientation and then some training and voila…. I was spending two hours every weekend helping someone improve their speaking, listening, and writing skills. Now, I’m no expert in the English language (interestingly English isn’t even the first language I learned) but I have really been able to bring my experiences and knowledge to craft a personalized learning plan for my student.
This program has especially been rewarding because it’s one-on-one tutoring where I am building a stronger more meaningful relationship with my student and learning from each other. I enjoy meeting other people and learning about new cultures. After working a full-time job it’s not always easy to dedicate time every weekend to this program but that’s where discipline and dedication come to play. It’s hard getting out of bed early every Saturday morning but having a commitment helps me manage my time better and leaves me with a smile at the end of every session.
So bottom line… volunteering can be a great way to tune into the positive energies in the world while making a difference. But the key is to do is authentically. Now I know this is a term that thrown out quite frequently these days but find an activity that you connect with and challenge yourself to dedicate time to this activity. Whether this is sports or education or health and nutrition or expertise in your field. I guarantee you will feel much more positive about life if you connect with others in a way that is meaningful to both. In the process you might surprise to find yourself making new friends and warding off the loneliness.