If you aren't enjoying the things you usually do are very easily emotionally set off feeling
sad or empty having a change in your appetite sleep easily fatigued or having a hard time
focusing feeling really guilty you might be experiencing symptoms of depression You might
be wondering what purpose does depression serve?
What if depression was a stop sign?
What if its function was to tell you that your life is headed in a direction you don't
want it to go?
Maybe something bad happened.
And now the way the world is working it's just not reinforcing enough something's missing.
That's the idea behind behavioral activation a simple effective way to treat depression.
Here's how it works.
You spend some time tracking what you're doing and how you feel.
And through that process you discover depression loops depression loops are those patterns
of thinking acting or feeling that actually make your depression worse.
Stuff like ruminating on what's happened in the past.
Thinking about it over and over again avoiding certain situations because you just feel like
it's going to be too difficult or it's hopeless or using a drug or some type of substance
because it gives you a temporary relief.
But in the long term makes you feel a lot worse.
In behavioral activation we call these traps trigger response avoidance patterns.
Once you figure out what your traps are and the things that make your depression worse
then you can figure out your tracks trigger response alternate coping.
That's it.
That's behavioral activation in a nutshell.
Track your behavior.
Figure out your traps.
And try out new ways of coping.
It's that simple as you get better at trying out new ways of coping and your thoughts feelings
and behavior that just start to improve on their own.
If depression is a stop sign behavioral activation is like a GPA that helps you navigate around
this obstacle and find a way of getting back on course once you start to improve on your
ability to cope.
You can tackle bigger and more complex goals.
A lot of studies have shown behavioral activation just on its own is very effective at treating
mild to moderate depression if you have severe depression you might need the help of medication
to be able to take advantage of this treatment.
It's something that really helped me many years ago.
I had all these plans of what I was going to do during the summer.
I was going to do this big bike ride.
I had a big trip planned.
It was going to be awesome.
And then I broke my leg the first day of summer.
I actually needed surgery for it and all my plans were ruined.
That's often what happens with depression.
There's some type of critical event that leads depression symptoms to snowball and build
upon each other.
I stopped doing all those things that usually help me to feel better.
I got stuck in my room partially because I was less mobile but also because my thoughts
made me feel like it wasn't even worth the effort of trying to get out there.
Behavioral activation helped me to realize my trap was feeling like things are too much
effort and giving up before have even started.
Behavioral reactivation.
Also helped me to figure out how to get back on track by spending a little bit of time
with other people going outside even if it was just the neighborhood coffee shop.
I know this sounds too good to be true.
Just do stuff and you end up feeling better.
It is hard.
Behavioral activation takes a lot of effort at a time when you feel like you don't have
any energy to give.
But here's what you have to remember about depression.
Motivation doesn't kick in when you're in your room.
Motivation kicks in after you get started on these small goals.
The more you do them the easier they do become.
Here's how you can try behavioral activation at home.
Check out.
Overcoming depression.
One step at a time by Michael Addus and Christopher Martelle.
What triggers a downward spiral for you and what uplifts your mood.
Let me know in the comments below.
I'm @alimattu on Twitter Instagram and Snapchat.
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