Happiness 101: a How-To Guide in Positive Psychology for People Who Are Depressed, Languishing, or Flourishing. the Participant's Manual. , livre ebook

Xlibris US - Louise Lambert R. Psych.

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34 pages

English

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Happiness 101: A how-to guide in positive psychology for people who are depressed, languishing, or flourishing, The Participant’s Manual is your guide to learning more about what current research has to say about happiness. Happiness is a state of mind we all want, yet few of us know how to reach it. In this group manual, you will learn how much of your happiness is actually under your control, why it is difficult to be happy with what you have, and why participating in your favorite activity less, is actually better for you. Moreover, this program will help you practice multiple interventions in order to maintain a long-term approach to happiness. So, get ready for some big changes!
Modules include:
1. Myths and Beliefs about Happiness
2. What are the benefits of being happy?
3. Adaptation, genetics, and circumstances
4. Intervention principles: Effort, fit, variety.
5. Positive emotions
6. Theory of Authentic Happiness (Seligman, 2002)
7. Flow
8. Positive interventions

Sujets

Psychology

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Publié par	Xlibris US
Date de parution	05 novembre 2009
Nombre de lectures	0
EAN13	9781669848660
Langue	English
Poids de l'ouvrage	2 Mo

Informations légales : prix de location à la page 0,0200€. Cette information est donnée uniquement à titre indicatif conformément à la législation en vigueur.

Extrait

Special thanks to;
Laura Cunliffe
And
Kelsey McCallum

Care has been taken to ensure that proper credit is given to all referenced materials in this manual; however, the author welcomes any information to rectify potential errors.

If you have obtained this manual outside of a group setting and are interested in the conjoint facilitator’s manual, you may view and purchase multiple copies at www.xlibris.com by searching for Happiness 101: A how-to guide in positive psychology for people who are depressed, languishing, or flourishing. The Facilitator’s Manual.

Copyright © 2009 by Louise Lambert. 584415

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the copyright owner.

Xlibris
844-714-8691
www.Xlibris.com

ISBN:
Softcover
978-1-4415-8874-6

EBook
978-1-6698-4866-0

Rev. date: 09/22/2022
Contents
Introduction
Instruction – Activity 1
Instruction – Activity 2
Sustainable Happiness Model
(Lyubomirsky, Sheldon & Schkade, 2005)
Instruction – Activity 3
Instruction – Activity 4
Instruction – Activity 5
Instruction – Activity 6
Interventions

Introduction
Welcome to the group! This program and manual is for individuals who want more happiness in life. It is a psycho-educational group offering discussion and individual homework exercises. It provides information with which to implement strategic changes to your happiness levels. Feel free to take notes within the book. The more you think about the concepts and practice them, the better positioned you will be to enjoy and generate positive experiences. This book is to be used in a group run by a qualified group leader who has an understanding of positive psychology. A facilitator’s manual is available for this purpose.
Your facilitator will take you through the various sessions. At the back of this book, there are study questions that you can answer, or use as discussion questions within this group, or with your own circle of friends and family. I encourage you to think about and discuss the ideas in the manual. There is also an extensive reference list. The books are all available in libraries and bookstores and make for good reading. There is also a definitions list at the back and many interventions for you to try, but your group facilitator will have many more for you.

Program objectives
By completing this program, you will understand that long-term sustainable happiness takes deliberate effort and personal commitment. Happiness is a state of mind that must be chosen and reinforced with action. You will learn to use many concepts to your advantage.
“Happiness depends upon ourselves.” – Aristotle
Why this program is important
The costs of being unhappy are no longer affordable. As it is, depression is the fourth largest disease burden in the world (Hyman, Chisholm, Kessler, Patel, & Whiteford, 2006), and costs relating to health care, lost employment, disability, family strain, related health conditions, addictions, etc, are high. In fact, major depression is set to become the largest contributor to disease burden in high income nations by 2030 (Mathers & Loncar, 2006). Depression is also the most costly disease in the world to treat (World Health Organization, 2008). Because of the stigma associated with obtaining help for what is considered a mental disorder, a new approach to providing services is needed as many individuals do not access help at all. In fact, only about half the individuals who need assistance receive it (Cheung & Dewa, 2007; Rhodes, Bethel, & Bondy, 2006). Yet, it seems that the more we focus on depression, the greater its persistence. What would happen if we focused on happiness instead?
While we are programmed to seek happiness (Layard, 2006), we do not always know how to make happiness happen, and often hold incorrect ideas about what makes us happy (Loewenstein & Schkade, 1999). That is why this group was developed. I hope you can learn what makes you happy, why that is the case, and how you can maintain that state of mind over time.
A note on terminology
“Happiness” as a term does not really mean anything. Seligman (2002) considers it a clumsy concept, and instead, uses various theoretical components. Happiness refers to what positive psychology strives for, and uses the terms well-being, vitality, thriving, flourishing, life satisfaction, and other positive emotions and positive states interchangeably. Happiness does not only belong to one theory either. For instance, the PERMA model of well-being (Seligman, 2011), is one of many which we will review. Finally, throughout the manual, you should know that the word “affect” refers to emotions, or feelings.
A special note on depression, therapy, and suicide.
This group had originally been designed for people who struggled with depression, and many asked the obvious question, “Why don’t we talk about depression?” The answer is simple: there is little to gain from doing so. There used to be a belief in psychology that if we removed the symptoms of depression, people would be happy. But, this is not so. If we remove the symptoms of depression, it just means you’re not depressed. It doesn’t mean you’re necessarily happy. The feeling of being in neutral, or just going through the motions is called languishing (Keyes, 2005), and it is an important state to which we should attend because people who are languishing have very high odds of becoming depressed over time (Keyes, Dhingra, & Simoes, 2010).

Let’s use an analogy. Imagine a thermometer. Depression is when you are in the minus temperatures. Not being depressed, or languishing is still only in the zero area, and happiness, or flourishing (Keyes, 2005) is in the positives. This group moves people past the negative and neutral zone. Traditional psychology focuses on moving people away from negatives, while positive psychology moves people into the positives. This group does not concern itself with what is found in the lower temperatures. People who are depressed already know how it feels. Consequently, there is a lot to gain from learning the skills necessary to generate a state of happiness. People want to feel happier, and not just “not depressed.” Thus, this group is for people who are depressed, languishing, or already flourishing and want to feel better and do more with their lives.
Henry (2006) noticed that individuals reported success in feeling happier by quieting the mind, accepting reality and moving forwards, participating in physical activity, being absorbed in activity, finding emotional support, and developing meaning in life. What people considered unhelpful was the advice given by psychologists (like me!), such as reading and talking about a problem, and analyzing and planning, suggesting that perhaps science overlooks the insight and perspectives of regular people. This is not to say that psychologists do not know what they are talking about, but sometimes, simple solutions are better than complex ones. It also suggests that you are an expert on your life and you can achieve the right solutions with the proper tools and information.
As you move through the program, you will notice that some days are great and some are not. You won’t (and shouldn’t) be happy all of the time. Despite our best efforts, sometimes we can let our minds get the best of us. This happens to all of us, so don’t get too concerned if it happens to you. Just notice your mood and keep moving towards your goal.
If you experience thoughts of suicide, or thoughts about wanting to hurt yourself, or someone else, please share this with your group leader! While this course focuses on happiness, it does not mean that negative feelings should be ignored. Please, do not suffer alone with negative feelings. Talk with the group leader after the session and let them know how you feel. They will listen and help. If you happen to have obtained this book without attending the group sessions and need assistance or someone to speak with, call your nearest hospital and ask them to put you through to the hospital social worker who can either help you directly or assist you in finding the right resource. You can also contact a local crisis line, counseling centre, community service centre, church, etc. Keep telling someone how you feel until you get the right help. If you feel suicidal, you may need more help than what this group can offer you at present. Please seek out additional supports immediately. You can always join us later. We would be most happy to see you again.
Instruction – Activity 1
Read and answer the questions that address popular myths and beliefs about happiness. In minutes, your instructor will give you more information about each myth or belief.
Myths and Beliefs about Happiness
1. Happiness is a natural state of mind. I shouldn’t have to work at it.
What are your beliefs about happiness?

2. There is little for me to be happy about; I don’t own my home, I have debt, I have to lose 30 pounds, and I just got divorced.
Is it possible for you to be happy when nothing seems to be working out?

3. Once I obtain A, B, and C, then I can be happy.