Getting Going Again
A behavioural activation workbook — a practical way to rebuild routine, achievement and enjoyment when low mood has pulled you away from the things you usually do.
What is behavioural activation?
Behavioural activation is a straightforward approach to low mood, recommended by NICE. It works from the outside in: rather than waiting to feel motivated before you act, you plan small activities first and let motivation follow. Activation before motivation.
When mood drops, it is common to withdraw — to stop seeing people, to put off the washing or the bills, to spend longer in bed. Each of those choices makes sense in the moment. Over time, though, they remove the very things that lift mood: structure, a sense of achievement, connection with others, and enjoyment. The withdrawal quietly keeps the low mood going.
Work through the tabs in order, at your own pace. Only move on when the step you are on feels steady, and give it time — a few weeks of small, regular activity does more than one ambitious week.
Think of a three-legged stool: all three legs need to be roughly the same height for it to hold steady. A week made only of routine and necessary activities is as unbalanced as a week with none of them.
Understanding your cycle
Before changing anything, it can help to see how low mood is working for you right now — what happens, what you make of it, how you respond, and what that leads to. This is an ABCO formulation.
What happens
A recent moment when your mood dropped, or when you found yourself putting something off. Stick to the facts — what happened, when, and who was there.
What you thought
The quick, automatic thoughts — what the situation seemed to mean about you, about others, or about how the day would go.
How you felt and what you did
Low mood shows up in three places at once — in how you feel, in your body, and in what you do or stop doing.
What it led to
Withdrawing usually brings quick relief. The question is what it costs over the days and weeks that follow.
Keeping a baseline diary
Start by recording what you already do, exactly as things are — no changes yet. A week of honest notes shows where your time goes, what you have withdrawn from, and how different activities affect your mood.
Write activities down as you do them
Anything counts — work, chores, meals, a phone call. Note the quieter stretches too: time in bed, hours on the sofa.
Record it as it is, not as you would like it
This is information, not a test. There are no wrong entries.
Rate your mood before and after
A word, or a number out of 100. You will start to see which activities lift mood and which flatten it.
Identifying and ranking activities
List what you are not doing: things you used to enjoy, things you have been putting off, things you never find time for — and things you have always wanted to try. Your baseline diary will help you spot the gaps.
For each one, choose a category and how difficult it feels right now. Your ranked plan builds itself below as you go.
Add an activity
“Easiest” does not mean easy. When mood is low nothing is easy — it simply means the most manageable place to start.
Your ranked plan
Begin with the easiest level and work down the list. Move up a level only when that one feels steady. Aim for at least one routine, one necessary and one pleasurable activity at each level, so whichever level you are working at, your week stays balanced.
If nothing feels easy enough
- Break a large task into smaller pieces — “dust the living room for twenty minutes” rather than “clean the house”.
- Aim for ten minutes of an activity rather than finishing it.
- No activity is too small. Listening to one voicemail counts.
- Ask a friend or family member to do it alongside you.
Scheduling activities
A planned activity is far more likely to happen than an intended one. Put your chosen activities into the week ahead, holding three conditions in mind.
Graded
Start with the easiest level from your ranked plan. Move up only when that level feels steady.
Balanced
Mix routine, necessary and pleasurable across the week. If your days are full of necessary tasks, use the diary to decide what can wait so something enjoyable fits.
Specific
Name the what, when, where and who. “Clean the worktops at 4:30pm in the kitchen, by myself” is a plan; “tidy up” is a wish.
Your easiest activities
Doing them, and watching your mood
The last step is to carry out what you planned and record how it went. Rating your mood before and after each activity is what makes the effect visible. Some activities lift mood immediately; others take a few repetitions before they do.
One guiding line: complete activities in spite of how you feel, not because of how you feel.
Be flexible
Life gets in the way. An activity that did not happen is postponed, not failed — move it to a day when it feels achievable.
Review weekly
Look back at the week: what went well, what got in the way. Then add a little more, at your own pace.
Common obstacles
Maintaining progress
Progress is easier to keep than to rebuild. Come back to these questions when things are going well, so you know what to reach for when they dip.