Changing unhelpful thinking patterns is important for one’s mental health, but real change requires behavioural change. That’s why CBT (cognitive behavioural therapy) emphasises the importance of behavioural activation – essentially, adopting helpful behaviour patterns to improve well-being.
If you are down or anxious, you may find you withdraw from activities you used to enjoy, or avoid situations that trigger anxiety. This typically results in a vicious cycle; the inactivity reinforces your negative thoughts (“I’m useless, I can’t do anything”) and negative feelings (despondency, hopelessness, listlessness), making it even harder to get motivated.
The aim of behavioural activation is to break this cycle and to encourage people to re-engage with meaningful or pleasurable activities, even if they initially don’t feel like doing so.
ACTIVITY SCHEDULING
Essentially, there are three main types of behavioural intervention. The first one is activity scheduling – identifying and scheduling activities that give you a sense of pleasure or mastery. All kinds of activities can help in this regard. Listening to music, going to a midweek movie to jazz up a dull week, swimming, hiking, playing cards, spending time in nature, cooking, researching something you are interested in, socialising, walking your dog, washing your hair, looking at old photos, planning a trip, going to the beach, doing something nice for a friend or family member, taking care of your plants – all kinds of activities, both big and small, can brighten up your day or help you feel better about yourself.
It’s a good idea to come up with your own list (if you do an internet search for ‘pleasurable activities form’, you will come across multiple resources that can help in this regard). After coming up with your list, try and plan where you can fit them into your week.
If you’re feeling low, even the thought of compiling a list might seem burdensome, but try to remember this kind of inactivity is maintaining and worsening your mood. Breaking the cycle of inactivity will help you break out of that aforementioned vicious cycle, lifting your mood and helping you to feel that bit more hopeful.
EXPOSURE
The second behavioural intervention I want to mention is exposure. When we’re anxious, avoidance often feels like the natural escape route. The urge to steer clear of seemingly uncomfortable situations is common and understandable.
However, avoidance always backfires in the long run. By avoiding what triggers anxiety, we inadvertently reinforce the idea that these things are serious threats and too difficult to handle. This strengthens one’s initial anxiety, keeping one trapped in a cycle of fear and avoidance.
The more you confront feared situations, the more you get used to them. You learn: I can handle this. Repeated exposure to feared situations reduces anxiety and builds confidence.
OPPOSITE ACTION
The third behavioural intervention I want to mention is the opposite action technique, a simple but useful technique aimed at breaking unhelpful behaviour patterns. The idea here is that instead of acting on an a particular emotion, you do the opposite of what your emotions are telling you to do.
When a person is down or sad, their instinct might be to withdraw from others, to stay inside and shut themselves away. This is understandable, but usually counter-productive. An opposite action in this instance might involve venturing outdoors and meeting up with friends.
Or maybe you’re feeling anxious about something. Anxiety’s best friend is avoidance, but you don’t have to give in to your fearful thoughts. You can do an opposite action and respond to your fear by acting as if you are not fearful.
Alternatively, say you’ve had a stressful day at work. Tired and listless, you take to the sofa, half-watching TV and eating junk food. You know this isn’t a good idea and will only make you feel more tired, more passive, more lethargic, but you think to yourself: I just don’t have the energy to do anything right now. Instead of heeding that inner voice, you can choose to ignore it and do an opposite action – for example, a few small jobs around the house, or going for a walk, or some such activity.
Remember, even small steps forward can positively impact your overall well-being, breaking you out of that vicious cycle of inactivity and low mood.
(First published in Southern Star on 29/8/2024)