“Happiness is not something ready-made. It comes from your actions” said the Dalai Lama. This quote explains that we are in charge of our happiness. Happiness doesn’t happen to us, we have to cultivate happiness using measures like showing gratitude, spending time with loved ones, finding a purpose in life, doing activities that give us joy, and pursuing a career that we find meaningful. The Dalai Lama also says that we have a choice always, we can choose to be happy even in difficult circumstances by focusing on the good things. Because as we know, everybody goes through bad days but that doesn’t make our life bad.
What is Psychotherapy?
This is what we can do to stay happy and make our lives happier and more satisfying. Positive Psychotherapy (PPT) is comparatively a new way of looking at mental health that helps people develop skills to get through difficult times and live happily. It derives from positive psychology, which focuses on the good things in life, like happiness, well-being and courage. Many studies have shown that PPT can help people with a variety of mental health problems like anxiety, depression, and post-traumatic stress disorder. The technique is fairly new but it has shown significant results in improving mental health and overall quality of life.
Strength and Positive Psychotherapy
Positive psychotherapy focuses on strength. The therapist helps the client see and develop strengths and skills rather than focusing on their weakness. They also help the client figure out how to use their skills to solve the problem and achieve their goals. Therapists should be proactive and be able to make plans for the improvement of client’s resilience and general health even if they don’t suffer from any mental health issues. Also, helping the client set clear goals and reach their full potential.
Positive psychotherapy (PPT) is different from other types of therapy. It’s strength-based, focusing on building strength rather than focusing on their weakness. It helps people to empower and gain self-awareness, and self-confidence and boosts self-esteem. Positive psychotherapy focuses on all aspects of a person’s life, including their connection with other people, mental health, physical health and other things.
Benefits of Psychotherapy
There are many benefits of positive psychotherapy, such as lowering the chances of mental health problem, improving relationships, making people happy and healthy, increasing creativity and productivity, and making people look at the positive aspects rather than the negative aspects. Initially, the therapist and client work together to find out the values and skills of the client then they help the client come up with a plan to use their skills that will help them solve their problems and reach their goals.
People who are dealing with mental health problems, or anyone who wants to live a healthy and happy life can use positive psychotherapy. There are many mental health professionals available who use this method to cure mental illness or any day-to-day issues. A study was done to compare how well positive psychotherapy and group cognitive-behavioural therapy work for people with major depressive disorder. The results showed big differences between the two groups in terms of happiness and mental distress, which suggests that positive psychotherapy is better at making people happy than cognitive-behavioural therapy.
Few interesting facts about Positive psychotherapy:
- Positive psychotherapy is found more effective than standard cognitive-behavioural therapy at helping people with chronic pain and having a better quality of life.
- Positive psychotherapy can help people live longer. A study in the journal Psychological Science found that over the next 10 years, people who did positive psychology tasks like being thankful and enjoying good times were less likely to die.
- People can do better in their jobs with the help of Positive psychotherapy. The Journal of Personality and Social Psychology released a study that found people with more upbeat feelings were more likely to get promoted at work and make more money.
- Positive psychotherapy can assist kids in doing well. According to a research child development journal, children who took part in positive psychology exercises had a better performance. Also, they showed improvement in their health, social skills and emotional skills.
Embracing Positive Psychotherapy
“The good life is a process, not a state of being. It is a direction, not a destination.” by Carl Rogers. He says that you can’t remain happy in one place; you have to work on cultivating happiness and growing it. We have to undergo the entire process to find happiness, by making good choices and making sure our actions are not harming either us or others. Your level of contentment is entirely dependent on the decisions and actions you make for yourself; it is not determined by anything or anyone else.
Everyone knows that the only constant is change and that nothing ever stays the same for long. We need to keep moving forward and being honest with ourselves about who we are, what we value, and what we believe. To get here, we need to be mindful and aware of the direction we’re heading in. be open to improvement, act on our instincts, and cultivate positive relationships. Don’t give anyone else control over your life; instead, take charge. Be true to yourself and your own set of values at all times.
Conclusion:
Happiness, health, and courage are just some of the positive aspects of life that are highlighted in positive psychotherapy (PPT). Anxiety, depression, and post-traumatic stress disorder are addressed from the perspectives of both mental and physical health. In addition to reducing the likelihood of developing mental illness, PPT also boosts social connections and productivity. Therapists aid their patients in identifying their strengths and values, and in developing strategies for overcoming obstacles and realizing their aspirations. However, positive psychotherapy has been shown to boost health, happiness, and success in the workplace and personal relationships. A study published in Child Development found that positive psychology-based activities improved academic performance, health, and social and emotional development in children.