The symptoms of depression such as tiredness, lethargy, loss of interest, loss of motivation, loss of pleasure, and indecisiveness can lead to inactivity, and this often keeps the depression going or even make it worse.
Also, because of the lack of motivation, a depressed person might begin to neglect everyday tasks and responsibilities at work or at home, and the list begins to pile up. As such, when a depressed person thinks about the things they have to do, they might feel overwhelmed by the pile of things they have put off doing. This might result in them feeling guilty or thinking that they are ineffective or even a failure. This will also worsen the depression.
Increasing Your Activity Level
One of the ways of overcoming depression is to increase your level of activity. There is a lot of evidence that shows that the more people do, and the more pleasant activities they get involved in, the better they feel. Becoming active has a number of advantages:
Activity helps you to feel better.
At the very least, when you start engaging in some kind of activity, it gives your mind something else to think about, a different focus. Doing things, even a little at a time, can help give you a sense that you are moving forward, taking control of your life again, and achieving something – experiencing a sense of mastery. You may even find pleasure and enjoyment in activities that you do.
Activity helps you to feel less tired.
Usually, when you are physically tired, you need to rest. However, when you are depressed the opposite is true. Sleeping more and sitting around doing nothing will only cause you to feel more lethargic and tired. Also, doing nothing leaves room for your mind to ruminate on depressive thoughts, which will make you feel even more depressed.
Activity can help you think more clearly.
Once you get started, you may find that you take a different perspective on particular problems in your life. Also, because your mind takes a different focus as a result of the activity, your thoughts may become clearer.
Fun and Achievement
It makes good sense to do fun and pleasurable things to make yourself feel better, but these are not the only sorts of activities that will help generate positive feelings. Being depressed isn't just about feeling sad. There are a lot of other feelings involved as well, such as hopelessness, guilt and despair. So it also makes sense to do things that result in other positive feelings, such as achievement and a sense of purpose. When you are planning things to do for yourself, it is important to remember to include a mixture of activities, adding those that have the potential to give you other positive feelings. An example of this is paying off money on your credit card, or doing the ironing. Doing these things can help you feel more in control of your life and give you satisfaction that you have started doing something. Doing tasks that give you a sense of achievement or mastery will help you feel like you are starting to get back on top of things again. Some activities may combine the two. For example, making your bed may give you a sense of pleasure at have a neat, tidy bed, but it may also give you a sense of achievement at having done something to improve your home environment. This sense of achievement is just as important as getting pleasure out of something, and may indeed prompt you to do more.
Start Simple
Even though there are a number of advantages in increasing your activity level, it may not be easy to get started. Often, this is because when you are depressed you think negative thoughts such as “I won't enjoy doing this” or “It's too hard” or “I'll probably fail at this too”. These thoughts may stop you from getting started. Often the big mistake people make is trying to do too much too soon.
When you are depressed, things that you usually don't even have to think about doing (when you are not depressed) can seem to require a huge amount of effort. The idea is to start with small easy steps and begin with things you can do. Think of it in terms of training for a sports event.
If you hadn't been doing any running for 6 months, would you try and run a marathon without doing any training? Of course not! You would go on a training program that slowly builds up your fitness and endurance. Similarly, when you are depressed, it is unreasonable to expect yourself to be able to jump out of bed and clean the house before going out to meet a friend for a late lunch. If you set your goals too high, you might end up not doing them, become disappointed in yourself, and feel worse than ever. Instead, plan to do things that are achievable at your current level of functioning. Start with small steps and slowly build yourself up to the large tasks that seem unmanageable right now. For example, aim to get out of bed for 10 minutes, then slowly build up the amount of time you are out of bed for. Don't try to clean the whole kitchen, just aim to do the dishes. If that is too much, just stack all the dirty dishes in a pile. Aim to get one counter top cleaned, or just wash 5 plates. Any tasks can be broken down into smaller and smaller steps until you find something achievable.
Sometimes it is easier to aim to do a task for a set period of time rather than trying to achieve a set amount. Read a book for 5 minutes rather than a whole chapter. Say you will spend 10 minutes weeding the garden, rather than aiming to weed a certain area. In this way, it will be easier for you to achieve your goal. In the beginning, the important thing is not what you do or how much you do, but simply the fact that you are doing. Remember that action is the first step, not motivation, and you'll soon find yourself feeling better.
Fun Activities Catalogue
The following is a list of activities that might be fun and pleasurable. Sometimes it can be difficult to think of the things we used to enjoy or might want to do now, especially when we are preoccupied with depressive thoughts. Consider writing down ideas from this list and any others that come to mind of activities that you might be able to do.
1. Soaking in the bathtub
2. Planning my career
3. Collecting things (stamps, coins, shells, etc)
4. Going for a holiday
5. Recycling old items
6. Relaxing
7. Going on a date
8. Going to a movie
9. Jogging or Walking
10. Listening to music
11. Thinking I have done a full day's work
12. Recalling past parties
13. Buying household gadgets
14. Lying in the sun
15. Planning a career change
16. Laughing
17. Thinking about my past trips
18. Listening to others
19. Reading magazines or newspapers
20. Hobbies (model building, etc)
21. Spending an evening with good friends
22. Planning a day's activities
23. Meeting new people
24. Remembering beautiful scenery
25. Saving money
26. Card and board games
27. Going to the gym, doing aerobics
28. Eating
29. Thinking how it will be when I finish school
30. Getting out of debt/paying debts
31. Practicing karate, judo, yoga
32. Thinking about retirement
33. Repairing things around the house
34. Working on my car (bicycle)
35. Remembering the words and deeds of loving people
36. Wearing sexy clothes
37. Having quiet evenings
38. Taking care of my plants
39. Buying, selling stocks and shares
40. Going swimming
41. Doodling
42. Exercising
43. Collecting old things
44. Going to a party
45. Thinking about buying things
46. Playing golf
47. Playing soccer
48. Flying kites
49. Having discussions with friends
50. Having family get togethers
51. Riding a motorbike
52. Sex
53. Playing squash
54. Going camping
55. Singing around the house
56. Arranging flowers
57. Going to church, praying (practicing religion)
58. Going to the beach
59. Thinking I'm an okay person
60. A day with nothing to do
61. Having class reunions
62. Going ice skating, roller skating/blading
63. Going sailing
64. Traveling abroad, interstate, or within the state
65. Sketching, painting
66. Doing something spontaneously
67. Doing embroidery, cross stitching
68. Sleeping
69. Driving
70. Entertaining
71. Going to clubs (gardening, sewing, etc)
72. Thinking about getting married
73. Going bird watching
74. Singing with groups
75. Flirting
76. Playing musical instruments
77. Doing arts and crafts
78. Making a gift for someone
79. Buying CDs, tapes, records
80. Watching boxing, wrestling
81. Planning parties
82. Cooking, baking
83. Going hiking, bush walking
84. Writing books (poems, articles)
85. Sewing
86. Buying clothes
87. Working
88. Going out to dinner
89. Discussing books
90. Sightseeing
91. Gardening
92. Going to the beauty salon
93. Early morning coffee and newspaper
94. Playing tennis
95. Kissing
96. Walking my children (play)
97. Going to plays and concerts
98. Daydreaming
99. Planning to go to school
100. Going for a drive
101. Listening to a stereo
102. Refurbishing furniture
103. Watching TV, videos
104. Making a list of tasks
105. Going bike riding
106. Walks on the riverfront/foreshore
107. Buying gifts
108. Traveling to national parks
109. Completing a task
110. Thinking about my achievements
111. Going to a sports game (football, soccer, hockey, etc)
112. Eating gooey, fattening foods
113. Exchanging emails, chatting on the internet
114. Photography
115. Going fishing
116. Thinking about pleasant events
117. Staying on a diet
118. Star gazing
119. Flying a plane
120. Reading fiction
121. Acting
122. Being alone
123. Writing journal entries or letters
124. Cleaning
125. Reading non-fiction
126. Taking children places
127. Dancing
128. Going on a picnic
129. Thinking “I did that pretty well” after doing something
130. Meditating
131. Playing volleyball
132. Having lunch with a friend
133. Going to the hills
134. Thinking about having a family
135. Thoughts about happy moments in my childhood
136. Splurging
137. Playing cards
138. Solving riddles mentally
139. Having a political discussion
140. Playing cricket
141. Seeing and/or showing photos or slides
142. Knitting/crocheting/quilting
143. doing crossword puzzles
144. Shooting pool/playing billiards
145. Dressing up and looking nice
146. Reflecting on how I've improved
147. Buying things for myself
148. Talking on the phone
149. Going to the museums, art galleries
150. Thinking religious thoughts
151. Surfing the internet
152. Lighting candles
153. Listening to the radio
154. Getting/giving a massage
155. Saying “I love you”
156. Thinking about my good qualities
157. Buying books
158. Taking a sauna or a steam bath
159. Going skiing
160. Going canoeing or white water rafting
161. Going bowling
162. Doing woodworking
163. Fantasizing about the future
164. Doing ballet, jazz/tap dancing
165. Debating
166. Playing computer games
167. Having an aquarium
168. Erotica (books, movies)
169. Going horseback riding
170. Going rock climbing
171. Thinking about becoming active in the community
172. Doing something new
173. Making jigsaw puzzles
174. Thinking I'm a person who can cope
175. Playing with my pets
176. Having a barbecue
177. Rearranging the furniture in my house
178. Buying new furniture
179. Going window shopping
180. Thinking I have a lot more going for me than most people
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