What inspired you to take up Positive Psychology Coaching?
When I was 17 and away at university in the UK, I fell into a deep depression where I couldn’t leave my room for days, cried constantly, and felt completely hopeless and that life was not worth living. I eventually sought help and was diagnosed with major depression. Since then, I went on a journey to understand what I was experiencing and how I could heal myself. I saw psychiatrists, therapists, coaches, and healers; I read books, attended workshops, talks, and so much more. As I was healing, I felt a strong desire to work with other young people who might be going through what I was. That’s when I decided to train to be a life coach and then I discovered positive psychology.
Manal Al Adawi grew up in Oman and then went on to pursue a Bachelors of Law (LLB) from the University of Nottingham, UK and a Masters of Law (LLM) in Intellectual Property and Information Technology Law from Fordham University, NY, USA. She is certified in Applied Positive Psychology from The Flourishing Center, in life coaching from Coach Training EDU and in group coaching from The Institute for Life Coach Training. She also holds an Associate Certified Coach (ACC) credential from the International Coach Federation, the gold standard in coaching. While currently pursuing her MSc in Psychology & Neuroscience of Mental Health from King’s College London, UK, she works as both a lawyer and a positive psychology coach/life coach and sees her coaching clients at Al-Harub Medical Center. Read on to know more about how her work helps people lead full and meaningful lives…
What does your work entail?
Some people think positive psychology is just about being positive, but that is not it. Psychology has historically sought to identify the symptoms of mental illness and treat disease – i.e. focus on problems or ‘what’s wrong with you?’. Positive psychology, on the other hand, focuses on how we can help people flourish and thrive – i.e. ‘what’s good with you?’. Positive psychology focuses on developing strengths and positive emotions, increasing wellbeing, and adding meaning and purpose to life so that everyone, even those doing pretty good or not struggling with mental illness, can reach their full potential.
Positive psychology changed my approach to healing as I started to focus not just on fixing what’s wrong, but actually building what’s good in my life. This has been tremendously useful in being able to thrive with depression. Now, I use these tools and knowledge to work one-on-one with individuals (including teenagers) so they can build what’s good in their lives, improve their physical and emotional wellbeing, and reach their potential. I also hold workshops and talks for individuals and corporations, and I spread awareness about mental health and positive psychology through Instagram.
How does your work create and instill hope?
Through my work, I seek to instill hope in young people that it is possible to heal from depression. I show them that it is possible to build a happy, fulfilling and meaningful life, despite mental illness.
What awareness do you wish to create about mental illness?
I have faced a lot of stigma regarding my mental illness since day one, from family, friends, mental health professionals. People told me it was all in my head, that I should be grateful for what I have, that I was depressed because I wasn’t praying enough, that I shouldn’t see a psychiatrist or therapist, that I shouldn’t take medication because I will become addicted. Such ill-informed comments lead to making people feel they are to blame for their mental health struggles, and keep them from seeking help or asking for support from loved ones.
My hope is that by sharing my own experiences with mental health I can help reduce the stigma around it, educate people and thus encourage others to feel comfortable to be open about their struggles and seek help when needed. I want people to be aware that every single person has mental health, and we all need to look after it the way we look after our physical health; anyone can be affected by mental illness; and things can get better even when it feels hopeless.
Do you have a message for our readers?
If we could all learn to love each other despite our differences, the world would be a better place. I honestly believe that love would heal the world. So my message to every single reader would be to find all the barriers to love within yourself and work through them.
What are your hopes for the future?
I seek to continue to make a positive change in Oman in whatever way possible. I hope to continue to raise mental health awareness, help people live up to their potential, and spread messages of hope and positivity. In the future, my plan is to work more with schools and corporations to create positive environments for young people to thrive.