I'm part of a mutual aid group that delivers groceries to people every 2 weeks.

We sometimes get urgent requests on off-dates.

I don't think I can explain how satisfying(?), motivating(?) it was to randomly get off work one evening last week with instructions to buy $50 worth of groceries for someone I'd never met and to drop it off.

To be part of someone finding relief in a terrible situation.

The hardest part was honestly finding a group with flexible opportunities that I could contribute to regularly. Most organizations that ask for volunteers often want business-hour availability, and 6+ mo commitment - ie, good for retirees.

Yep, (social) media is optimized in fueling your emotions, and well the strongest emotions are negative, so it's mostly optimized towards that.

Avoiding this, doing something more healthy leads to a better mental (and likely physical as it's connected) health IMO/IME.