I took a month off work. Here's what it taught me about community

A few years ago, I took a month off work to focus on creativity. It was during the last lockdown and I created daily outfits inspired by the items in my house.

This period of creativity resulted in my pictures going viral and most of my time became filled with media engagements for outlets around the world.

A month ago, I was finishing up a piece of work and I decided to take another month off, though this time my plan was to spend it visiting people I love. I didn't realise it at the time, but I was going to end up largely spending the month joyfully helping people.

Since my children and I have been split up by the housing crisis, and the lack of family housing, I wanted to spend as much time as I could with my kids in Donegal. However, not wanting to outstay my welcome anywhere, I decided to visit a few other friends in various parts of the country as well.

In Donegal, I stayed with a friend going through a tough time. I’m not a trained counsellor, but I am empathic and kind, and my friend needed someone to talk to, so I listened over several days.

I then headed back east and visited a friend lone-parenting a small baby. While I was there, I cooked meals, massaged her feet, and made myself useful.

Following that, I travelled to help a friend with a physical disability who needed someone to sort through the contents of her shed. During my time there, it struck me that I’d been helping people everywhere I went, in one way or another, and that when given the time, space, and financial freedom, I suspect most people would likely be equally civic-minded.

When discussing this idea with a friend, she told me that when she started a 9-5 job she was worried for all the people she used to spend her time helping. "I wondered who would pick up my friend’s child from creche or take my aunt to her doctor’s appointment?"

It got us both thinking about the benefits of a Universal Basic Income (UBI), which is a sum of non-means-tested money given to all, regardless of whether they work or not. Research from a UBI pilot in the US recently found that people in receipt of UBI spent the money on their basic needs, planning for the future and on supporting others.

Using my month off to support other reminded me that we are presented with opportunities to help others almost every day. We don’t all have the time to work as a volunteer but even if you don't know many people in your area you can still check in on an elderly neighbour who lives alone, drop a meal around to a lone parent, or offer to help someone carry their shopping if they seem to be struggling.

There’s research to show that helping other people is good for your health but, to my mind, the acts of service we do for each other are a recognition of each other's humanity, and the glue that holds our society together.