Does Positive Psychology Help with Anxiety?
You may have heard about the field of Positive Psychology - at its core, this practice works to improve our sense of wellbeing and life satisfaction - and aims to address a lot of the concerns of modern life - such as stress, loneliness and anxiety, with exercises that enhance our feelings of happiness and gratitude.
In the past ten years, the field of Positive Psychology has seen enormous growth – with ideas from this field being used in education, therapy and workplaces. You may have heard about the field of Positive Psychology – at its core, this practice works to improve our sense of wellbeing and life satisfaction – and aims to address a lot of the concerns of modern life – such as stress, loneliness and anxiety, with exercises that enhance our feelings of happiness and gratitude.
These concepts have been useful for many people to improve their well-being – but have also been controversial, with some people finding the practices to be simplistic, or glossing over some of the more serious issues in mental health. The most common criticism is that the ideas behind the theory can sometimes seem condescending, with people encouraged to ‘pretend’ everything is okay – when in reality, they are dealing with serious and life-altering difficulties.
When might Positive Psychology be helpful for me?
One of the most helpful uses of Positive Psychology has been in the education field – with ideas such as resilience, wellbeing and grit being useful in helping students as they develop socially and emotionally. These ideas encourage us to focus on our strengths and build up our ability to manage failure or difficult situations – so building on existing strengths and choosing to see the positive side of a situation.
Positive psychology has also been used a lot in the field of wellbeing – helping people who are feeling somewhat discontented or ‘stuck’ to achieve more happiness and satisfaction in their lives. If you are feeling discontented or unsatisfied in your life, you may benefit from using some positive psychology principles – such as gratitude or optimism. It is important to note, however, that unhappiness or discontentment are different from depression – and positive psychology is normally not recommended as a stand-alone treatment for someone struggling with depression or other mental health issues.
If you are feeling discontented or unsatisfied in your life, you may benefit from using some positive psychology principles – such as gratitude or optimism.
Positive psychology aims to enhance our happiness and quality of life – but we need to be functioning at a fairly high level to benefit from this intervention – someone who is struggling daily with their mood may not find it helpful at all!
When might it not be helpful for me?
As noted, if you’re currently experiencing anxiety, depression or another mental health issue that is impacting your work, relationships, or life, it is likely that Positive Psychology may not adequately address and treat these issues. Anxiety and depression often have root causes, and need careful and evidence-based treatment – and so interventions like CBT, ACT, DBT or interpersonal therapy can be extremely helpful.
Positive Psychology principles can be helpful for people who are undergoing therapy in these areas – but it is likely that these interventions will not be enough by themselves to successfully help with your symptoms. Most of the time, exercises focusing on gratitude, kindness and empathy and optimism are most effective when we are working from a high baseline of mental health – we might not be in the right place, mentally or emotionally, to engage with these if we are depressed or struggling with significant anxiety. If you’re in this position, it is recommended that you seek out the support of a licensed therapist or counsellor, who can get started on evidence-based treatment.
With this in mind, research does show us that Positive Psychology practices can be helpful in our day to day life more as an ‘enhancement’ for happiness, rather than a treatment for depression. Mind Ease has a great exercise called Gratitude List, which encourages us to shift our focus onto what is going well in our lives right now.
We also have several relaxation and mindfulness exercises that are designed to help you to slow down and calm your nervous system – allowing you to enjoy the present moment. Using Mind Ease each day, even if only for 10 minutes, can help improve your wellbeing and quality of life.
If you’d like reliable relief from anxiety, you can install Mind Ease for free here.
