Giving Feels Great
In my coaching sessions, clients often arrive with a specific focus on systems. They want to discuss productivity, time management, and better ways to tackle their workload. We start by exploring these challenges, but the conversation almost always shifts. With a small amount of support, my clients usually reach the same conclusion: wellbeing is the primary requirement. When we prioritise health and recovery, performance follows naturally. This is the same approach used by elite athletes. They do not view rest as an absence of work. They view it as a core part of their training.
Once we establish a wellbeing-first mindset, it becomes easier to focus on practical foundations. We look at sleep patterns, physical movement, and digital boundaries. These elements are essential for sustainable work. However, there is one area of wellbeing that I have perhaps overlooked in the past.
While I focus on my own recovery, I sometimes forget the impact of supporting others.
Research shows that giving is a highly effective way to support our own mental state. Functional MRI studies show that the act of giving activates the same reward circuits in the brain as receiving. When you help someone else, your brain releases chemicals linked to motivation and pleasure. Researchers call this the "helper’s high".
This is not about professional obligation or working for free. Sustainable productivity requires firm boundaries. To ensure giving supports your wellbeing rather than draining your energy, it helps to keep these actions separate from your professional output. Consider small, personal actions like supporting a local cause or helping a friend with a practical task.
You do not need to add these actions to a rigid checklist. To treat kindness as a performance metric defeats the purpose. Instead, view it as a flexible option for days when you feel stuck. By shifting focus from your own requirements to the needs of another person, you create a sense of purpose that sustains you.
How might you incorporate a small act of giving into your week as a way to support your own wellbeing?
