Its safe to say that this year has gone a tad faster than they normally do. Indiscernible hours spent in the same place will do that to you.
As we reach the end of our second lockdown we do, however, have the nations favourite festive period to look forward to. Not only might we be seeing family members for the first time in 9 months (hopefully ?), but we get to do so at a time when sharing with loved ones sits at the very core of the season.
I’ve already got couple of presents ready to go and I’m not going to lie I am pretty excited about seeing them get opened. Where does that excitement come from though? Well it turns out that giving a gift really can be better than receiving one. Its better for your health, your happiness AND for society.
Giving is one of life’s great joys. Whether it is a present for a pal, a donation to a charity or a just giving advice, the act of giving can make us feel warm inside, worthwhile and valued. Read on and we will tell you why and how giving is actually the ultimate gift to yourself
The science
So what happens to our brains when we give a gift, and why does it give us that warm glow? Well, the following
1) The pleasure receptors in our brains light up.
2) Endorphins are released, giving us a rush of happiness.
3) The hormone oxytocin is released, lowering stress levels and making us feel more connected.
Benefits to health, happiness & society
Giving has a really positive impact on our mental health and happiness, and this in turn makes a difference in how we behave and how others respond to us. Studies have shown that witnessing other people giving, or acts of kindness, can inspire others to give, a glorious virtuous circle that speaks to the very core of us as social creatures.
The benefits to our health is also impressive, a study in 2006 showed that people who gave social support to others, in the form of giving to charity and volunteering, had lower blood pressure than those who didn’t give back, suggesting that there is a clear link between giving and better health.
Give this Christmas
So how to give? It doesn’t need to be with money or expensive gifts, it can be with time and with kindness.
Offering to do someone’s shopping, volunteering at a charity or giving time to listen to your friends or family can give you all the benefits that a present will do. Studies have shown however, that when it comes to giving presents, we get more pleasure from giving gifts to the people closest to us as we then feel closer to them.
We wanted to shine a light on the essence of giving with our December box “The Gift Of Giving”. This little number has nods to Christmas (no tinsel in there, we promise) and we have pulled together partnerships with some wonderful brands to bring you our most valuable box yet (worth over £70).
Not only is this our gift to you, but it is a gift to yourself…PLUS we reckon that some of these items would be ideal to pass on to a loved one who may have been left off the present list by mistake…we’ve all been there!
We will be donating 5% of proceeds this month to a Charity (to be announced soon) plus if you would like to gift a subscription head over to our site and you can do just that!
Keep an eye on our instagram for some teasers on what the Mind, Body & Soil elves (see them in action below) will be putting in the December box.
Oh! Nearly forgot, who would do a blog post about gifting without putting a gift in it? Here is 30% off your first box, we hope you enjoy it!
GIVING30
