Boosting Mood: A call to action!
There is abundant research showing that changing what we do every day can change how we feel. But when your mood is low it can be difficult to imagine doing much, as your energy and motivation are often low too. Low mood can stop you from doing many of the things you used to enjoy – the very things that could boost your mood – and cause you to avoid everyday tasks and responsibilities. For example, you might avoid socialising as you don’t feel up to it, or you might sit in a house surrounded by mess as you can’t find the motivation to clean up.
By reducing your activity level you no longer get the positive experiences, pleasant feelings and sense of purpose and accomplishment from doing things. You can feel overwhelmed by the mounting pile of unfinished tasks. Your energy and motivation can suffer. Life may no longer seem like fun.
In this way you can get stuck in a self-perpetuating cycle of decreased activity and low mood. Happily, simply by increasing your level of positive activities and experiences, even by doing small things, you can start to fight depression and boost your mood. By doing things you can start to feel like you are moving forward, are competent, and that you are taking control of your life. You can think about different things, think more clearly, and start to enjoy what you’re doing. Being active will also help to increase your energy and combat your lethargy.
While this appears to be a simple recipe for success, it can only be achieved if you do it in a manageable and realistic way.
Key steps towards being more active and tips for success
Start Small
When your mood is low it is a good idea not to aim too high when you first start increasing your activity level. The idea is to start doing things, and gain a sense of achievement. If you start with easier activities and build up to a goal you are more likely to succeed. For example, you might start by walking around the block and build up to walking a kilometre. You can also break activities down into smaller steps or ‘chunks’ so that they are more manageable and less overwhelming. For example, if the idea of cleaning the bathroom is too daunting, you could start by cleaning the sink or changing the towels. Sometimes it is easier to aim to do an activity for a set amount of time, rather than to achieve a particular outcome. For example, aim to iron for 10 minutes rather than to iron all the shirts.
2. Write a list of activities you feel you could do.
Identify a range of activities, including some fun, enjoyable activities (for example, having a bath, reading a book, phoning a friend, going to the beach), and some tasks that need to be done (for example, paying a bill, doing some chores, doing some gardening). These latter activities will give you a sense of achievement and allow you to start to feel more in control. Choose activities that are enjoyable and/or important. This way they are more likely to be rewarding and it will be easier to motivate yourself to do them. As you build up your activities it can be helpful to choose activities that fulfil something that is of value to you, in areas of your life such as relationships, physical health, or work. For example, you might identify being a supportive friend as something you value, in which case phoning or sending a card to a friend who is going through a difficult time would be an activity that would be in line with this value.
3. Plan to complete each activity at specific times.
By choosing a specific time to do an activity, and putting this on a calendar or planner, you will be more likely to do it. Doing this on a weekly basis will make it more manageable and also means you can adjust the activities as you modify your goals.
4. Involve others in your planned activities.
If you feel accountable for completing your activities, you will be more likely to do so. This could simply mean letting someone else know about your plan, or could involve someone more directly. For example, arranging to go for a walk or see a movie with a friend will provide more motivation to do these activities.
5. Measure your mood.
Rating (on a scale of 0-10) your mood/depression, feelings of enjoyment and sense of achievement before and after completing a planned activity will help you to notice the effect of completing activities on your mood. This may contribute to making you feel better and keeping you motivated.
By increasing our activity levels, we can feel more positive, focused and accomplished, and have more energy. So, don’t wait to feel better before getting active. Now is the time to get back the activities you used to enjoy and start emerging back to happiness, focus and motivation.
