When it comes to helping others we all want to lend a hand, some of us volunteer, donate money, spread awareness sometimes we do all three. There are even some cases that we end up donating blood at a local blood drive, or sometimes even emergency blood drives whenever disaster strikes.

If you wish to donate blood there are a few things that you should do before going to the blood drive.

1. Find out if you can

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Everyone wants to do good but there may be some people who may not be able to donate, like people with certain diseases that may not be able to, often before you donate they make you take some kind of questionnaire to see if you are able to often times they may not take your blood if you said yes to some of those questions so always do your research and be sure that you are able to donate if not then encourage others to donate.

2. Eat a good meal

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It is very important that you have a well balanced breakfast or lunch or eat something, they recommend eatting a low fat meal 4 or more hours before you donate never donate on an empty stomach otherwise you might pass out.

3. Stay hydrated

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This is actually from personal experience I made the mistake of not drinking water before the blood drive and I nearly fainted and had to have ice packs all over me so always stay hydrated eat the snacks there and stay for a least 15 minutes.

4. Rest!

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​Trust me it is very important that you take it easy for the rest of the day don't do anything too extreme no heavy lifting no extreme exercise just relax otherwise it could take a toll on your body

5. Have a snack right after your donation!

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They usually have a table full of snacks and drinks that you can help yourself too make sure you take advantage of those snacks so then you don't feel faint.

6. Do not do any heavy lifting for at least 48 hours

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The last thing that you want to do is heavy lifting after you donate blood it can cause you to feel a little lightheaded.

7. Check for the next time you are able to donate

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After you donate sometimes they let you know what your blood type is and then they give you an ID and password to use to check when you are able to donate next sometimes they won't let you donate for another 8 weeks so always make sure you check the next date you are able to donate.

You are doing an amazing thing by donating if you can donate that is awesome if you can't there are plenty of ways to help out spread the word volunteer or just encourage people to sign up to be donors.

Keep it up rockstars