Volunteerism is something that doesn't get discussed enough, because one of the core tenets here is to focus on self rather than sacrificing for others. Also, to many, volunteerism is often a way to seek social validation, which is often discouraged as it's considered "beta".

However, nothing is absolute in life, and nuances to this exist. It's something that has helped me in the past, and we can focus on the benefits to yourself here, not to society.

There are lots of posts about depression, not only in this sub, but on reddit in general. I recently read a thread talking about how a large percentage of today's unemployed youth have given up on life. A common response to this from trp is lifting. This is popular for obvious reasons. Not much else has this universality. Some people might find solace in coding. Others might find it in music. But not everyone is the same… except when it comes to the need for good health. Testosterone helps almost all men. Good physical health is beneficial to everyone. Anyone can engage in it. It also gives you at least some sense of purpose or goal. You get visible improvements on a weekly basis. We all know this already.

It has helped me when I was depressed back in college.

However, if you're like me, therapy, medication, and lifting offer only superficial mental and physical relief. There was always an underlying sense of emptiness. Lack of purpose or belonging. Long term goals. Connection to society. So what more is there?

One possibility is Volunteerism.

Volunteerism addresses a lot of the issues I've listed. Here are some points to consider

  1. Even if you're being rejected by the shittiest of companies, it shouldn't be difficult to get a volunteer position.

  2. Almost as universal as lifting. Anyone can start on this. Even those who are at their lowest.

  3. Low effort, low investment. Vast majority of people on reddit can spare a few hours a week away from their League of Legends or Netflix.

  4. It takes focus away from yourself, and puts focus on the needs of others instead. Sometimes, you just need to take your mind off yourself. Meditation, drugs, and other methods work for this purpose as well, of course.

  5. It forces onto you a sense of responsibility. Some people need this, and need to get accustomed to this.

  6. Positive experiences. You can end up being a more interesting person. You can meet a lot of different helpful people and form different connections. A different calibre of people than some of the "entitled, bitchy" ones you keep finding at your local clubs/bars. It's more interesting to talk about, for most people, than just your 8 hour lifting regimen or your last pentakill. For this specific purpose though, I'd recommend volunteer work that involves working with/for people. I.e. soup kitchens for homeless, after school programs for kids, etc.

  7. Makes you a busy-body. Gives you something to do. The longer you're idle, the less attractive you'll be, not only to dates but employers. I noticed this about myself too. My questions become a lot harder if an interviewee has been idle/unemployed, but claims to have been training/studying. The last person I interviewed couldn't come up with anything that he has done for the past year except, apparently, training and studying. I couldn't believe that, and I don't think most interviewers would. I asked some tougher questions to see how up-to-date he was on latest technologies. Didn't get satisfactory answers. I had an almost instinctive/knee-jerk reaction to that. My imagination went wild. Clubbing. Games. Movies. Depressed nights on the couch. He's too embarrassed to admit what he's done besides 'studying/training'. He lacks of goals/ideas. He lacks a sense of purpose. Might not be fair, but that's just how it goes. If you leave too many question marks, a lot of people will fill the void with the worst they can come up with. If he could have talked about some startup work, volunteer work, a long-planned trip around the world (or some other recreational project), a sick relative, etc, it would be more difficult to judge. Volunteerism helps with that. It shows that you know where you're needed, have a sense of responsibility, and aren't afraid of work.

…

It might not help everyone, and I'm not trying to tell anyone to make sacrifices. It's just something worthwhile to consider for anyone looking for more to do on their way towards self-improvement. Ponder it; weigh the costs and benefits for yourselves.