Did you know picking up litter is good for your mental health? It’s an example of what’s called “pro-social behaviour” – and that means good vibes.
Anything we do that’s intended to benefit someone else, or society, is an example of pro-social behaviour. It’s driven by concern for others’ wellbeing, the wellbeing of the environment or the planet, and not personal gain.
Doing a litter pick is a great example of a pro-social act – it doesn’t just benefit others’ enjoyment of a space, the environment, the animals, birds and fish – there’s a good vibes payoff for us too.
Acts of kindness like this can generate feelings of happiness in us and promote connection and community with others, research shows. They can foster compassion in us, deepen our gratitude and help us to connect with a sense of hope and optimism.
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Showing kindness can increase our energy, improve our physical wellbeing and lower our blood pressure.
Psychologists call it the “helper’s high” – the intense, euphoric, calm feeling of physical wellbeing and emotional satisfaction we can experience after carrying out a kind act, or volunteering.
If you want to get a shot of this free high, An Taisce’s Clean Coasts programme has a simple prescription.
Its #2MinuteBeachClean is a simple idea – take just two minutes to pick up some litter when you are at the beach.
In winter, such efforts matter even more, says Clean Coasts.
“Storms and high tides batter our beaches, leaving a lot of waste washed up. This waste poses multiple hazards for marine flora and fauna. A beach clean helps protect marine life,” it says.
Two minutes may feel like too short a time in which to make a difference, but small actions add up. Every piece of plastic removed from our beaches is no longer a danger to our marine life and environment, says Clean Coasts.
It estimates that the litter collected in each #2MinuteBeachClean weighs in at 1kg-2kg.
“If everybody in Ireland does a #2MinuteBeachClean per month, that would be over 100,000 tonnes of litter removed from our ocean this year,” says Clean Coasts.
Not only will you be making an immediate positive impact on the environment, but performing a kind act such as this and spending time outdoors by the sea is good for mind and body too.
It’s an opportunity to slow down and notice things more – birds feeding, seaweed patterns, marine creatures, for example.
There’s a quiet pride that comes from caring for your local beach, Clean Coasts adds.
“When you take a little time to pick up litter, you are saying, ‘This place matters, and I’m part of it’.
“When everyone’s efforts are added together, all of those minutes add up to cleaner beaches.”
If it’s community you are after, joining a regular beach-cleaning group is a chance to meet like-minded people, to make friends and to be part of the community, says Clean Coasts.
[ ‘Big Beach Clean’ removes 43 tons of rubbish from shoresOpens in new window ]
Check out the @Cleancoasts Instagram account, where you’ll find groups such as Bray Coast Care, Shellybanks Clean-up Group, Bull Island Action Group, Tomhaggard Clean Coasts, as well as Rush, Balbriggan, Kinvara and Tramore Tidy Towns groups, to name but a few.
Want to do a beach clean through Irish? There’s a group for that too. Check out @Craobhnacoille, which does a litter-pick on Sandymount Strand trí Gaeilge, with tae agus brioscaí ar fáil ina dhiaidh, of course.
Clean Coasts now has more than 2,500 groups and more than 45,000 individual volunteers nationwide.
Just think of the vibes from that.
