Depression, Going Out To Find The Attractions Of Life
“It is the activity
what makes man happy “
Goethe
We usually make the mistake of thinking that to carry out projects or carry out activities, we always have to be willing or motivated in some way and that if not, it is better to leave it for another time when we are more motivated.
This thought ends up being a trap in the end, especially for people immersed in a depressed mood, since motivation will only appear after continuous activation and not vice versa. That is, action precedes motivation.
This conclusion was obtained a few years ago, specifically in the 1990s, in light of the results of a study on the efficacy of Beck’s Cognitive Therapy and was developed by Jacobson, Dobson and collaborators.
The most interesting thing was knowing that behavioral activation, by itself, was as effective as complete cognitive therapy and also as antidepressant medication.
Therefore, from this perspective, having a depressed mood would not be considered a disease, if not a negative situation or without reinforcements or incentives in which the person finds himself.
The objective would be for the person, through action, to verify that there are countless people, situations, places, moments, experiences, etc., that can renew the illusion for life, restore happiness.
The problem is that the person with depression tends to behavioral avoidance, that is, to the contrary that we propose. She stops going out, from performing those tasks or activities that were previously satisfactory, from relating … which only contributes to maintaining and increasing sadness and apathy and therefore, confirming her negative thoughts about herself, the world. and the future, which, as we know, are tinted the darkest black.
Obviously, if because I don’t feel like it or I don’t feel like it, I start to live by inertia, avoiding living and enjoying what is around me, my mood is impossible to improve and I won’t be able to think in a more positive way about life, because I do not give myself the opportunity to know the attractions of life, which are really out there waiting for me.
Realizing that getting active is key to improving emotionally is very important, as it cuts the vicious circle of depression and makes the person get out of that trap and begin to see that, in addition to injustice and adversity, there are also joys and pleasures.
With this, we do not intend that the person with depression go partying from one day to the next. The objective is to program the day to day with realistic and reinforcing activities that the person feels capable of carrying out.
It makes no sense to propose activities that do not reinforce those who undertake them, since what we are looking for precisely is to renew illusions, objectives and motives.
Later, when the person has already come out of passivity, activities that require a little more effort will be incorporated and even some that the person has never done, but would like to do.
One of the problems that usually arises when proposing behavioral activation is that the person, due to their depressed mood, gives themselves arguments not to carry out the activity or to abandon it, because they do not feel capable, they believe that this will not work you’re welcome, or it has no merit.
It also happens that if the person is not able to carry out the task perfectly and being a 10, they break down and recriminate themselves for it.
In this sense, it is important to educate the patient and to realize that these thoughts influence their behavior, and are the product of their negative vision. Therefore, the instruction is to continue activating, despite negative thoughts and even if it takes a tremendous effort, because the reward will be to get out, little by little, of that unpleasant state.
Depression is a vicious cycle in which the person is left spinning until they make the determination to leave. Behavioral activation is seen as a way out of that spiral, a door that leads to the rediscovery of well-being and happiness.
