📖 5-minute read
When mood is low, motivation goes with it. Waiting to 'feel like it' before doing anything traps you. Behavioural activation flips the order: do the small thing, then let the feeling catch up.
Start tiny. Not 'go for a run' — 'put trainers by the door'. Not 'clean the flat' — 'do one washing-up bowl'. The size of the step matters less than the momentum it creates.
Aim for a mix of pleasure activities (things you enjoy) and mastery activities (things that give a sense of doing). Both lift mood — and both are what depression steals first.