Widows that give of themselves for community or those in heed triple their chances of having a life of joy rather than despair. What is important is the things you do outside of what you have to do to survive.  Confucius “I sought for happiness and happiness eluded me; I turned to service and happiness found me.” Not all volunteer opportunities are created equal so we should select our volunteer work based on the joy we have doing it.  You need to find something you believe in and have a passion for.  Doing something that matters can make a difference to your own life. One widow I know is very creative and she volunteers at a non-profit gift shop.  She loves setting up the window displays and creating her own setups.  Not only is she getting to do what she is passionate about, she is also getting to socialize and meet new people. Check out this site for more information -  www.volunteermatch.org