"We were given two hands – one to help ourselves and the second to help others."
This year the Giving Games will be held from December 1st to the 11th by the Compassion Games: Survival of the Kindest. This is an eleven-day challenge that will be played globally by youngsters, teachers as well as mentors who want to spread acts of generosity and of course, compassion in their community. Play for Peace is always up for a challenge and will join in by forming its own Giving Games team that will also include sub-teams of Play for Peace kids who will perform compassionate acts in their community and report them to the Giving Games 2015. Not only will they be making their community a better place for those eleven days but they will also be representing Play for Peace at the larger international community level and we could not be prouder.
Although, this is an eleven-day challenge, giving should come as second nature to us. However, in a world that is becoming more and more disjointed, generosity is a quality that is harder to come by. This is why such challenges exist with the main mission of making the world a much better place. Not only does the act of giving make the world a much nicer place but it also helps us to be healthier and happier. Psychological studies have shown that the act of giving promotes mental health, which in turn improves physical health. Past studies have deduced that people who help others in their community have less depression and lower stress levels than those who don’t. Low levels of depression and stress are two things that help expand someone’s life span. In addition, researchers also discovered that the act of giving promotes a sense of togetherness and generates social connection.
According to an article on the Cleveland Clinic website, generosity activates a part of our brain connected to reward, which releases a surge of endorphins (that chemical responsible for our happiness). This same region is also linked to pleasure and connection – a natural response produced by giving mentioned earlier in this paragraph. Compassion is a natural human instinct deeply rooted in the evolution of man but with the development of our busy modern lifestyles, it has been thrown to the back of our minds. The eleven days from December 1st – 11th will be an opportunity to bring back a greater sense of compassion and generosity through the Giving Games challenge, an initiative that will make giving much more fun and memorable for children. This initiative will also promote these positive pro-social feelings in the next generation for the better of our global community as well as individual health. You’re probably itching to know how you can get involved and it couldn’t be any easier.
All you need is to sign up as an individual or as a sub-team by adding Play for Peace as your main team. If you play as part of the Play for Peace team, we will send you a resource guide with tips for individuals as well as teams. Once you register online then you must confirm your email by clicking the link sent to you. What’s more, it’s free to join and you’ll also receive daily ideas of compassionate acts if you’re struggling with thinking of what to do. As the saying goes, "We were given two hands – one to help ourselves and the second to help others," so let’s get those feel-good endorphins moving and let’s bring compassion back because the world sure needs it, don’t you think? Spread the love by joining the Giving Games today by clicking the link below.
- blog written by Monica Barreto Bibliography: http://health.clevelandclinic.org/2014/12/why-giving-is-good-for-your-health/ (Last accessed on 11/16/15)
