Pocatello Times

Studies Show Service Helps Teens Combat Depression and Anxiety

‘Service changed my life,’ says teen whose participation in JustServe helped improve her self-esteem and mental health

This story appears here courtesy of TheChurchNews.com. It is not for use by other media.

Editor’s note: While many with feelings of anxiety and depression have found strength in doing service, this is not a replacement for professional help in addressing mental health. For more resources, please visit mentalhealth.ChurchofJesusChrist.org or talk to a health care provider.

When Meg Stringam Bjorklund was 13 years old, she had just changed schools and didn’t have many friends. She hid in the school bathroom at lunchtime or would call her mom crying. At home, she often stayed alone in her room.

“I wanted to quit school,” Bjorklund said. “I hit a low with depression and anxiety. I really shut down in social situations.”

Then her mother, Autumn Stringam, received a Church calling to be a JustServe specialist in Nampa, Idaho. JustServe.org — a website and app where community organizations and charitable groups post their volunteer needs — was relatively new in the area and needed help getting going.

Over the months, Stringam took Bjorkland with her to service projects large and small around the Treasure Valley area of Idaho.

Original source can be found here.