Brilio.net - Being a student majoring in Education is not an easy journey. Piling up academic assignments, the burden of teaching practice, and the pressure to be a role model for students in the future can be incredibly stressful. Not to mention the expectations from lecturers, friends, and oneself that sometimes feel burdensome. To maintain a balance between academic demands and mental health, finding healthy ways to relieve stress is essential.
One proven effective way is to get involved in volunteer activities. Volunteering activities not only provide valuable experience and add soft skills, but can also relieve the stress that is often felt by students majoring in Education. Through volunteering, students can find more meaning than just chasing grades or fulfilling graduation requirements. This activity provides an opportunity to share with others, feel happiness through small meaningful actions, and strengthen empathy.
Volunteering not only has a positive impact on others, but also provides significant benefits to students' mental health. Here are seven reasons why Education students should get involved in volunteering to maintain their emotional and mental balance.
photo: freepik.com
1. Increase self-confidence
When students majoring in Education participate in volunteer activities, they will meet many people from various backgrounds. Facing different situations in the volunteer world can help them get out of their comfort zone. The experience of interacting, working together, and making real contributions to other people's lives can increase self-confidence. Not only in academics, but also in social and personal life. Through volunteering, they will realize that small contributions made have a big impact, which ultimately increases self-worth.
2. Reduces stress and anxiety
Academic pressure often makes students feel anxious and overwhelmed. However, by volunteering, they can relieve stress through useful activities. When helping others, the brain releases dopamine, known as the happy hormone. This feeling of happiness helps reduce feelings of anxiety and makes students feel lighter. Through volunteering, they can forget about the burden of work for a while and gain a new perspective on life, which naturally relieves mental stress.
3. Strengthen empathy and social connectedness
photo: freepik.com
Empathy is an important skill for a prospective teacher. Through volunteering, Education students can strengthen this skill by seeing and understanding the challenges faced by others. Volunteering often brings students into contact with disadvantaged or needy communities. By directly getting involved in helping them, students can better understand the social conditions around them, while also building stronger and more meaningful social relationships. This sense of connection with others provides a positive sense of emotional satisfaction.
4. Provides a greater sense of purpose
Often students feel trapped in a monotonous daily routine and lose motivation. However, being involved in volunteer activities provides a greater sense of purpose. They will feel that what they do is not only for themselves, but also for the good of others. This feeling will provide new enthusiasm in living everyday life, and add meaning to every activity carried out.
5. Develop soft skills that are useful in the world of work
In addition to emotional benefits, volunteering also helps hone soft skills such as leadership, communication, teamwork, and time management. These soft skills are very important for students majoring in Education, because later they will become teachers who must be able to lead classes and communicate well. These skills can also be an added value when applying for a job, because it shows that they are able to work in a team and have initiative.
6. Provides real world experience
photo: freepik.com
Through volunteering, students will be exposed to various realities of life that they may not encounter on campus. This provides valuable real-world experience, where they can see firsthand the problems faced by society. This experience will be an important provision for prospective teachers in understanding diverse and complex social conditions, which will later be useful when teaching in schools. Volunteering also teaches students to be more sensitive to social problems and to seek real solutions for society.
7. Find a supportive community
When involved in volunteer activities, students will meet people who share the same goals and values. This community can be a source of emotional support, where students can share stories, experiences, and feelings. Being involved in a community like this provides a sense of belonging and emotional security, which is very important for maintaining mental health. They will feel that there are people around them who are ready to support them, both in academic and non-academic matters.
Maintaining mental health during college is a priority that is often overlooked. However, by getting involved in volunteer activities, Education students can gain benefits that will not only impact their personal lives, but also their future careers. Volunteering is not only about helping others, but also an effective way to rediscover happiness, peace, and balance in life.
Volunteering provides an opportunity to learn, grow, and developboth as individuals and as future teachers. In the midst of a busy academic routine, finding time to volunteer can be difficult. However, the long-term benefits are far more valuable to the mental health and well-being of Education students.