Process - Physician - Fraser Health Authority

REACTIVATING YOUR LIFEDuring depression, most people don’tdo the things that normally keeptheir mood positive.But if you stop taking care of yourself or doing thethings you normally like, your life becomes more dulland depressing. Although it can feel as though youare comforting yourself by being less active, in factyou are probably helping the depression get worse.In other words:DEPRESSIONINACTIVITYDepression leads to inactivity, but inactivity makesdepression worse. What seems like a good coping strategyactually tends to maintain or intensify depression. Thesolution: don’t wait until you feel like doing more.Waiting actually makes it less likely that you will getbetter. And don’t wait until you feel motivated – asyou get better, you will regain a sense of motivation.Action starts first, motivation kicks in later. Settinggoals to increase your activity level is a powerfulmethod for managing depression.The aim is to gradually get yourself moving eventhough you might not feel like it. These are thesteps to gradually reactivating your life.SELF-CARE DEPRESSION PROGRAM19 ANTIDEPRESSANT SKILLS WORKBOOK