Well-being: Self-care and Positive Psychology |13 November 2021

Anuishka Nanty

In the following interview, we learn about the importance of Self-care and Positive Psychology with Anuishka Nanty, provisional psychologist at the Student Support Services Section, Ministry of Education.

Ms Nanty completed a BSc (Hons) Psychology with Counselling Skills at the Middlesex University (Mauritius) in 2019. One of the modules covered in the course that was of particular interest to Ms Nanty is Positive Psychology.

Seychelles NATION: You mentioned that psychology is not just for mental illness or problems; tell us more about this.

Anuishka Nanty: There tends to be the perception that mental health and the practice of psychology relate only to people with mental illness or serious problems. This leads to stigma around the profession, as well as for people who seek or may benefit from psychological services.

In reality, psychology and mental health relate to everyone and psychological approaches or interventions can be beneficial to a range of individuals, groups, communities, and organisations in a number of ways.

If you think of it similarly to physical health, it is not the concern of only those who are unwell in some way. Getting good sleep, nutrition and exercise is beneficial to all of us. If we want to get stronger or better at a particular skill, we practice or train. We may hire a professional to help us enhance our performance. If we do get sick or injured, seeking help from qualified professionals is appropriate and often necessary.

Mental health is the same. Psychological practice is about understanding and helping those with concerns but it is also about maintaining and improving health, happiness, productivity, and relationships, both in personal and professional contexts.

To go into a bit more detail, psychology is about many different aspects, including:

• Gaining self-awareness: what type of personality traits do you have? How do they affect the way you think, feel and behave? In what way has your past contributed to your current self? What is the person you would like to be (ideal self) and how far are you from being that person (actual self)? What are your strengths and weaknesses? What is your communication style? How do you respond to criticisms? What makes you happy? What are your defense mechanisms? How do you learn? What are your character strengths? What are your vulnerabilities?
• Knowing the functions of emotions, how thoughts work and their relation to behaviour.
• Developing theory of mind, that is the ability to understand other people’s mental states (e.g. knowing the right time to discuss certain things to a person).
• Developing emotional intelligence (the ability to understand, use and manage your emotions).
• Developing resilience and optimism.
• Taking care of one’s needs (physiological, safety, belongingness and love needs, esteem needs, self-actualization).

Seychelles NATION: Can you explain what Self-care and Positive Psychology are about? Why are they important and who can benefit from them?

Anuishka Nanty: Positive Psychology is a relatively new branch in psychology that was founded by Martin Seligman around 1998-2000. It is a preventive model that uses scientific approaches to study topics such as well-being, life satisfaction, happiness, optimism, resilience, character strengths, gratitude, and flourishing.

Compared to the traditional psychological approaches that aim to treat, manage, or “cure” what is wrong, Positive Psychology takes a different stance and helps individuals to make use of their strengths, in order for them to flourish and function at their optimal level.

While research is still ongoing, Positive Psychology seems to be beneficial for all in different ways. It has been found that individuals who practice gratitude experience more positive emotions, have more life satisfaction, and experience fewer negative emotions (e.g. anxiety and depression). Gratitude practice is also beneficial for individuals who have post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) as it helps them to be more appreciative of family and friends and helps them to “life live in full”.

Aspects of Positive Psychology can be used in conjunction with other evidence-based approaches in helping people with a range of goals or mental health concerns.

Positive Psychology is also beneficial for children. In Seligman’s book titled ‘The Optimistic Child: A Revolutionary Program That Safeguards Children Against Depression and Builds Lifelong Resilience’, he describes ways in which children can learn optimism and its importance in preventing depression and difficulties often encountered during the adolescent period.

Self-care involves taking deliberate actions to promote one’s physical, mental, emotional, spiritual, and social health. There are many ways in which individuals can engage in self-care, including through self-compassion and mindfulness. To be self-compassionate is to be kind, empathetic, forgiving, and humane to the self. Mindfulness is the ability to be fully present in the moment.

Self-care can also be intertwined with certain positive psychology approaches, such as gratitude practice, utilizing one’s character strengths (e.g. creativity, forgiveness, leadership etc.) and virtues, and engaging in activities that challenge one’s abilities while also bringing a sense of gratification and mastery (e.g. playing an instrument, doing a sport etc.)

While self-care has traditionally been emphasized more in caring fields such as for nurses, doctors, psychologists, therapists etc., it is beneficial for all, including students and teachers.

Being a prevention model, positive psychology is important as it provides individuals with knowledge and tools on how to cope with the stressors and adversities of life. Likewise, self-care helps individuals to cope better with stress and improve their well-being long term. For individuals in caring roles, self-care is of particular importance as it helps them to provide better care and services.

Seychelles NATION: Why did you choose the topics of Self-care and Positive Psychology for our readers?

Anuishka Nanty: While psychology professionals in Seychelles have discussed and promoted the topic of self-care on different platforms, especially during recent years, it is a topic that still has valuable contribution, especially in the “new normal”.

I believe that prevention is better than cure. It is better to routinely care for the self, especially when you have responsibility towards other people (e.g. clients, children, family etc.), rather than waiting to experience distress before engaging in self-care. Being a small population with limited workers, we all have to care for ourselves, otherwise we may risk burnout and a lack of productivity.

However, it is also important to note that self-care is not a ‘fix’ for an inherently unhealthy work environment and the wellbeing of employees should be a shared concern and responsibility.

Self-care is also relevant for the younger generation. While it is important to want to be great and have high academic achievements, it is important that students have a balance in their routine and ensure that they are healthy physically, emotionally, spiritually, socially and in other areas.

Seychelles NATION: Can you share some self-care practices and talk about some positive psychology factors which can contribute to people's well-being?

Anuishka Nanty: Self-care practices can be as simple as getting sufficient sleep, eating well, taking time out to be with yourself, getting in touch with nature, getting rid of toxic relationships, engaging in activities that give a sense of purpose, getting a massage, going for a walk, learning to say “no”, being non-judgmental to self, being empathetic to self, serving, praying, meditating, and lots more.

Self-care should be routine practice. It is not selfish or self-indulgent but rather a vital component of physical and mental health.

In one model of positive psychology, 5 components have been found to be used by people in the pursuit of well-being. They make the acronym PERMA. These are:

• Positive emotions (joy, hope, gratitude, compassion)
• Engagement (engaging in absorbing activities, activities that make one lose sense of time and awareness of reality)
• Relationships (cutting toxic relationships and embracing those that you feel loved, supported and valued)
• Meaning (engaging in activities that bring a sense of purpose, engaging in spiritual practices)
• Accomplishment (mastery, achievement, competence)

F. P.