The Value of Volunteering When You Have Fibromyalgia

If you’re struggling to complete basic, daily tasks due to fibromyalgia or any other chronic condition, taking on an additional responsibility is perhaps the last thing you’d want to do. But there’s a body of evidence to suggest that when you volunteer, you can change your own life for the better as well as benefiting others. In 2013, the charity Age UK reported that volunteering helps boosts both physical and mental well-being, although the reasons behind this remain unclear.

• What is Fibromyalgia?
• What Are Common Fibromyalgia Symptoms?

Since I’ve been diagnosed with fibromyalgia and became unable to continue working in my former role in a high pressure environment, I’ve struggled periodically with a lack of routine and feeling as if my fibro-fogged brain was wasting away. I’d been volunteering on and off for over 20 years, having undertaken a variety of different roles. It was something that I had wanted to get back into, both to give something back to others but also to try and help myself out of the rut I was falling into.

Knowing it would be impossible for me to commit to getting to a given place at a given time due to the unpredictability of the fibro, I didn’t know if there would be much I could contribute. But when I began to look into what, if anything, I could do, I was surprised that there were so many home-based volunteering options.

Over the years since diagnosis, I’ve undertaken a range of volunteering roles including reviewing information leaflets for a local health organization, running an online chat group for older people and being part of a project team to create volunteering procedures for a national charity. Some of these activities are ongoing, whilst others have been short term, with a finite life span. I’ve tried to find roles which are flexible – things I can pick up and put down as the fibro allows.

So, what are some of the general benefits of volunteering?

Giving something back/ helping others

This is perhaps the first thing that people think about when they consider volunteering. Volunteers are vital in so many sectors these days, and it is rewarding to know you are giving a helping hand to someone else in need.

Skills, experience and confidence

Volunteers often make use of skills from their professional careers, even if this is in a different way as part of an unpaid role. At the same time, new skills can be acquired or developed depending on what you choose to do – maybe there’s something that you’ve always wanted to try, such as coaching others or becoming involved in promoting fundraising events. Volunteering can be a way of getting to do it.

I’ve found that I’ve used existing skills as well as learned new things and this, in turn, has boosted my confidence which was running low, partly as I’m no longer in paid employment. I’d also add that as people with fibro, we have a lot to offer as volunteers. We understand what it’s like living with health issues and it’s likely that we can empathize with others in similar situations – I’ve found that this has certainly helped me in my work with older people. There are so many things that I would never have understood in my pre-fibro days!

Involvement in your passions

Volunteering offers the chance to become involved in things that you’re passionate about and/or your hobbies and interests. Whether it’s marketing, the environment, literature or history, there will be volunteer roles to suit.

Meeting new people

As a volunteer, you can come into contact with different types of people outside of your normal social circle. It can be fascinating getting to know diverse and inspirational people who dedicate time to helping others.

Adding structure to your time

If you find you have more time on your hands than in your pre-fibro days, then having a commitment at a given day and time can help stop the days from slipping by monotonously.

Shifting the focus from fibromyalgia

Having commitments to others can help to shift the focus from fibromyalgia onto something, or someone, else. This can also mean putting things in perspective, in part through talking to others who are dealing with challenges in their own lives.

Where to find out more about volunteering in the UK:

A good starting point to find volunteering opportunities in your local area is at your nearest Volunteer Centre.

The do-it website lists volunteering opportunities which you can search by interest, activity or location and apply online.