Tegan Huntley is a sought-after hairdresser, but once a month she shuts up shop to offer her services free-of-charge to the homeless.
"It's not about me," she says.
But it is a tiny bit about Tegan. The 41-year-old says volunteering also has its returns.
"I come here and I'm in a shit mood, but then after hanging out with this crew I think, 'I've made someone happy, and that makes me happy,'" she says.
"I feel lighter after a day here."
Tegan's not alone. Beyond Blue's lead clinical adviser Grant Blashki says multiple studies have shown that volunteering is a great way to keep your mental health in check.
"The two main benefits of volunteering that can have a big impact on maintaining good mental health are the way it keeps people socially connected, and how it provides a real sense of purpose," Dr Blashki says.
"In my clinic, I see people who become isolated and lose their sense of belonging in their communities, which can lead to poor mental health."
The Federal Government's Head to Health program also encourages people to try volunteering as a method of self-care. It lists the following potential benefits:
- Sense of achievement and purpose;
- Feeling part of the community;
- Improved self-esteem and confidence;
- Better work-life balance;
- Combats stress, loneliness and social isolation;
- Feeling connected and valued.
Finding a sense of common purpose
Maddy Braddon, 24, started volunteering with climate change action groups while still in high school.
She says the work gave her much-needed focus.
"I was starting to go down a destructive path as a young person, starting to interface with alcohol, and with friends trying alcohol and drugs," she says.
"When I look back, I see that volunteering helped me break my family's cycle of domestic violence and no education or opportunity. It helped me to get a scholarship to study environmental science and marine science at uni."
Maddy says volunteering is a particularly effective way of finding a sense of purpose for those who feel hopeless in the face of climate change.
"Climate grief and anxiety is something that I've felt for about the last seven years, but it's only now that we have a name for it," she says.
"Taking purposeful, collective action in face-to-face groups with people of all different ages and diversities who care about the same things as you — that's extremely positive, and it mediates the anxiety, overwhelm and grief that I feel."
Strength in community
Cheyenne 'Grubby' White, 26, is an electrician who volunteers with the Rural Fire Service in the Clarence region of northern New South Wales.
He wrote a Facebook post that went viral after fighting fires in the village of Nymboida, where more than 90 homes were destroyed in 2019.
"At one point it felt like we were losing more then we could save, it nearly broke us, there were tears shed every time," he wrote.
"The devastation in the eyes of residents, it followed through into us."
Despite the loss, Cheyenne says he pulled through with a sense of pride.
"A lot of our brigade members were getting evacuated themselves, them and their families were incredibly strong," he says.
"I feel so proud to be part of the team and community.
"The residents and neighbours that jumped in and gave us a hand, they're all heroes."
Keeping your spirits up
While volunteering can make you feel good, it can also wear you down.
Sarah Rosborg, 42, co-founded a charity called Rafiki Mwema that works with children who have been sexually abused in Kenya.
"I don't switch off — I give my life to them, and so does my family," she says.
"But there's only so long you can do that. Sometimes I can end up in bed for a week.
"I realise now, I need to look after myself better, and that the best way for me to do that is by having alone time — that's my self-care and that's how I recharge."
Dr Blashki says volunteers should regularly reflect on how they're coping.
"It's common to react with feelings of fear, sadness, guilt, anger or grief," he says.
"However, if you're finding it hard to manage intense feelings, it might be helpful to seek professional support."
Sarah says it's impossible to be unaffected if you're volunteering in areas associated with trauma, but the benefits can outweigh the grief.
"You're there helping and making a change," she says.
"If you're doing nothing, your mental health will suffer. If you're doing something, your mental health will benefit.
"You just have to remember to help yourself while you're helping everyone else."