Behavioral activation
When you're feeling sad or depressed, you might want to isolate yourself and cut yourself off from all the little things that make you feel good. You might stay alone and brood over your painful thoughts ("I suck, I'm not going to make it, no one cares about me, no one appreciates me"), which makes you even sadder and lonelier. It is this mechanism that will make your sadness last, instead of diminishing naturally by living more pleasant moments. Knowing this mechanism can have two positive consequences on your well-being:
- You can act daily to prevent moments of depression. If you take care of yourself on a daily basis, by doing small activities that make you feel good every day, you prevent moments of sadness / blues / depression.
- If you are depressed and you don't feel well, after having accepted your emotion, the best way to feel better is to take action, to take some time for yourself to do those activities that make you feel good.
When you feel bad, it is sometimes difficult to take action and take care of yourself, so you need to prepare yourself a little beforehand. Here are some tips to help you find those activities and make them easier to do:
