How volunteering has helped me

General chat
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I have been a volunteer for Sue Ryder for just over 2 years and I am not exaggerating when I say that volunteering has changed my life in so many ways.

When I first stepped into the Sue Ryder charity shop in Emmer Green (Reading), I was incredibly shy and still grieving after losing my Dad a year before. However, after being a volunteer in so many different ways, I am a more confident person and I really feel as though I am doing something that not only benefits me, but also gives something back to Sue Ryder and I hope more than anything that it makes my Dad proud.

In the charity shop, I have done many things:
Working on the till
Helping to sort the donations
Price checking books

I was also a social media volunteer for a short while which involved maintaining a Facebook and Twitter page for a Sue Ryder shop.

More recently, I’ve used one of my main hobbies (writing) to help Sue Ryder by writing for their blogs and now by sharing experiences on the online community.

It is a real honour to be able to give something back to Sue Ryder who were so helpful and supportive when my Dad was dying. I would like to continue to volunteer for Sue Ryder for as long as I can.

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Thank you so much for everything you do, Em. Your blogs are brilliant - would you say that writing them has helped you cope with everything that has happened? Blogging - or even keeping a private diary of how you’re feeling can be pretty helpful in many situations.

It’s so kind of you to want to give something back too. You’re definitely helping us to be there for more people.

I wonder if you or anyone else has seen any good blogs where people have written about similar experiences, sharing what’s happened to them and how they coped?

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Thank you! :slight_smile:

I would definitely say that writing in general has helped me cope with a lot of stuff, not just my Dad’s illness & death, but also University & many other situations too.

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Capturing thoughts and feelings on paper, or on screen…helps me in many ways. I find that committing things in writing is very grounding. Constant fly away thoughts become orderly and more under control when I write them down.