A journalist for The Los Angeles Times recently asked me if I thought volunteering for a non-profit organization could help a person in career transition or career burnout. I replied without hesitation, yes! Now there are the obvious ways it can help: networking at high ticket charity events, brownie points on your resume’ so you can substantiate just what you did with your time this year while you’re out of work, and if you’re just getting out of school or the mommy track, well, giving it away for free may be your only option to getting work experience for a beginning resume’.

However, in my new book, The LifeQuake Phenomenon ( written prophetically before Wall Street quaked) I spend an entire chapter ( in fact, it’s the last chapter) extolling the benefits of altruism. Lest you think that volunteerism is just a good career move or humanitarianism in general, demonstrates self sacrifice, consider this:
1) Becoming an agent of change for the world’s greater good will elevate your self esteem rather you get a job or are viewed as the next Mother Teresa or not. A study was done with depressed college students who were put to work volunteering for six weeks. At the end of six weeks they took the same self inventory as they had at the beginning of the study. 75% reported a marked increase in their mood and attitude about life.
2) There are health benefits. Your immune system gets stronger through volunteer work. They measured T cells in HIV survivors before and after caring for home bound AIDS victims and T cells went way up.

3) The context you hold your life in will change. For example, after you’ve gotten over a bad cold or complaining about your aches and pains, visit a children’s oncology ward. Trust me, you’ll thank your body for how good it has been to you. Angry that you can’t eat lunch out like you did when you were making great money? Volunteer at a homeless shelter or soup kitchen.

4) There are always people less fortunate than ourselves and volunteering can keep your self confidence up as well as change your value system while you are negotiating the white waters of career change.

5) Volunteering can improve your relationships. Generosity is infectious. The more generous you are with your heart to those in need, the more open to your loved ones needs you can become.

The way to make the most of your volunteer experience is to make sure it fits with what you really enjoy doing, that you don’t over commit yourself and feel burdened and resentful, and you have the attitude that you are getting back more than you are giving. If you really give 100% of yourself while you are there, you will receive a glowing recommendation from your supervisor and will get the greatest health benefit from feeling like you are making a difference not just using it as a strategy for resume building.

Dr. Toni Galardi is a psychotherapist, public speaker, and author of The LifeQuake Phenomenon. She can be reached through her website, http:www.LifeQuake.net or by calling her office at 310-712-2600.

We are living in amazing times. Crisis driven, economically challenged, and now epidemic threats are all around us. And yet, it is possible to be healthier, wealthier, and more psychologically agile than ever before.

You probably think I’m crazy for saying this but here is why. If you follow these seven steps, your chances of thriving when everyone else is buying into mass hysteria (and lowering their immune systems by worrying) will be exponentially greater.
1) get seven to eight hours sleep a night. we live in a sleep deprived nation of people who think it makes them superior by bragging they can subsist on 5-6. In evolutionary terms, our bodies are wired to wind down after the sun sets and wake up when it rises. When you follow this natural rhythm instead of sitting at your computer until 11 PM, you will have the restoration that sleep brings in the morning and a stronger immune system.

2) eat foods that have lots of mineral content. Leafy greens and cruciferous vegetables are the best. The more alkaline your diet is the stronger your body will be. The most acidic foods contain sugar. red meat is also highly acidic so eat lots of veggies when you eat them for acid/alkaline balance.

3) moderate exercise. Any exercise that takes you into exhaustion at the end will deplete your adrenal glands. These little glands that sit on top of the kidneys are critical to immune health. If you feel your body is especially tired, substitute restorative yoga and walking in the sunshine for 30 minutes a day. Vitamin D that we get from the sun really supports immune function.

4) Speaking of which, extra vitamins such as a good B complex, vitamin E and 3-4 grams of Vit C are also supportive of your immune system. Many people swear by organic medicinal mushroom complex (which can be obtained from any number of nutritional supplements companies) as the source of their strong immune system.

5) Keeping your blood sugar stable through adequate amounts of protein throughout the day nourishes your adrenals as well.

6) Managing stress. Stress is the biggest drain on the immune system. The best way to manage stress is to be aware of your response to sudden or unexpected changes and resist the temptation to resist. Say yes in the form of acceptance to whatever is before you. The best way to economize our emotional response to challenging moments is to breathe consciously right into the place in your body where you are reacting. Often, that is our gut. As you breathe in, push your stomach out and as you breathe out, allow your stomach to contract. do this twenty times, three times a day and it serves as an emotional colonic to releasing stuck feelings so you dont take them to bed with you.

7) Meditating for fifteen minutes or listening to a guided visualization every morning can help carry you into a centered place throughout the day and then you don’t have to do the extra work of clearing yourself of reactive feelings later on. a great time saver! My CD,The LifeQuake Method is very helpful for those of you who have trouble meditating.

In summary, the key here is to eliminate fear and anxiety as much as possible. When you are rested, well nourished, and relaxed, your brain thrives and is able to adapt to rapidly changing circumstances like having to spin on the head of a dime. Times they are a changin’ and they aren’t going to slow down any time soon so it is justcommon sense to make sure your body, mind, and spirit are thriving.

Dr. Toni Galardi is a licensed psychotherapist, public speaker, author, and columnist. Her first book, The LifeQuake Phenomenon: How to Thrive ( not just survive) in Times of Personal and Global Upheaval is now available through her website www.LifeQuake.net or various online book stores.