A friend of mine was hesitant about trying out volunteering. They were anxious about the social awkwardness, how much they would actually help, what if they looked dumb, etc. You know what anxiety is like.

The analogy that occurred to me is if there were a bunch of people drowning. You have some life jackets, but you’re terrified of throwing one out and hitting someone in the face…so you do nothing. Ouch.

Clearly this is an extreme example, but I want to make a case for compassion if I can. Trying something new is always scary. And anyone with anxiety can think of ways that it can go wrong.

• Sending a nice text to an old friend? They could ignore you.
• Donating money to a good cause? They might use it for corrupt reasons.
• Offering to help someone move? They might make you do most of the work.
• Give a compliment to a random stranger? They might think you’re hitting on them.

Yeah, all of those are possibilities. Good intentions don’t always work out. But sometimes good stuff happens too. But only if you actually try the compassionate thing. More importantly, you will have “feel good dopamine” regardless of the outcome. Feeling like you’re helping people and making a difference is an amazing feeling. You don’t have to let fear and anxiety prevent you from planting those seeds. Not all will grow, but some will. And that makes it worth it.

What would the world look like if no one took a chance on compassion? It wouldn’t be pretty. I just want to encourage you to try some compassion because I know it will make you feel better. And there’s a good chance it will help someone else out as well. Making a habit of small gestures like this is very healthy psychologically. Sure we might hit someone in the face with a life jacket eventually, but most people would still prefer that to drowning.