Can counselling influence happiness?

October 12, 2022

At Karin Young Counselling, our goal is not to change you as a person but to help you learn the tools you need to evolve into the person you want to become and your own ideas of happiness.

Let’s look at what happiness is

Happiness is described by Psychology Today as, “an electrifying and elusive (mental) state. More than simply a positive mood, happiness is a state of well-being that encompasses living a good life, one with a sense of meaning and deep contentment.”

In our words, we would describe happiness as an emotion. An emotional state that can be experienced momentarily, short-term and long-term. Happiness can be gained through an experience or a situation.

We would encapsulate happiness as a feeling, and as with all feelings, it can come and go, it can be felt and not felt, all of which are ok. Because as human beings we are created with a mix of emotions, and no single emotion will be felt constantly. It is natural to experience happiness, as well as the other emotions we are created to feel such as moments of fear, sadness, anxiety, anger or gladness.

Counselling a place of relief

Due to the many different emotions we experience, we often need support in managing those thoughts and feelings.

We seek counsel for many different reasons including anger management, anxiety, depression, or stress. And often many people seek counselling when in need of someone to talk to, especially at Karin Counselling where it’s a safe place to open up, talk and gain relief.

Depending on the individual and the reasons for seeking counselling, some may find that at the start of their counselling journey having someone to talk to helps them to deal with challenging situations and you learn useful coping tools.

At the beginning of your counselling journey, are you likely to be happy? Maybe or maybe not.

In the early stages, the challenges faced may be traumatic, overwhelming and upsetting. This means that you are likely to feel emotions connected to anxiety or unhappiness rather than happiness.

However, seeing a trained counsellor may be a lifeline.  Speaking to a trained therapist can help with feelings of anxiety, stress, depression or anger.

A trained counsellor provides undiluted and unconditional attention. Your counsellor can guide you to explore the roots of stress, overwhelm or trauma. Even just after a few 1-2-1 sessions, many feel better. This is because counselling helps with coping skills that enable you to live in the moment and feel more satisfied, content and even happier.

Counselling can influence feelings, which inspire happiness

Through counselling and learning to understand your emotions, and how to better deal with feelings such as depression, anxiety or anger. As well as speaking to a consistent, trusted person regularly, you might feel increasingly content or peaceful which creates emotions of happiness.

In summary, no one can be responsible for our happiness except us.

Be kind to yourself, and allow yourself to feel the mix of emotions we can experience in our lives. Remember that happiness is an emotion that can come and go, it might not be felt constantly – this is perfectly natural.

Starting with a good therapist is a positive pathway to work on our situations and ourselves.  It can help us to be in control, at peace and feel relaxed, which releases endorphins or influence feelings of happiness.