I feel low or shut down
Sometimes everything feels flat, heavy or far away.
Even small things can take a lot of effort.
Feeling better does not have to be the goal right now.
Start smaller than that.
For the next minute
Make one small contact with the day
If action feels like too much, resting or reducing stimulation is also an option.
One ordinary option may be enough.
- Open the curtain.
- Take a drink of water.
- Put your feet on the floor.
- Step outside the room for a moment.
- Wash your face.
If one feels manageable, choose the least demanding one.
You can stop after that.
If you have a few minutes
A small action can come before motivation
You do not need to wait for motivation before trying one small action that takes only a few minutes.
Not something impressive.
Something ordinary.
- Put one thing away.
- Make something to drink.
- Change your clothes.
- Walk to the end of the street or around the building.
- Send one simple message to someone you already know.
Motivation does not have to come first.
If you try the action, your mood can do whatever it does.
You do not need to check whether it worked
When you finish, you do not need to immediately ask:
Do I feel better now?
The action does not have to produce a feeling.
If you did one small action, that is enough for this moment.
If the day still feels difficult
Leave one thing easier for later
If it helps, make one small thing easier for yourself a few hours from now.
- Put clean clothes somewhere easy to reach.
- Leave a glass beside the tap.
- Put something simple to eat where you will notice it.
- Place your shoes by the door.
- Write down the one thing tomorrow actually needs from you.
Or choose one small action and a time to try it: “After lunch, I’ll step outside for a moment.”
You can stop there.
You do not need to repair the whole day.
The point is only to make one later moment a little easier.
Need urgent help? Seek the closest medical help.
About this tool
Behavioural activation has a substantial treatment evidence base for adult depression. A 2026 meta-analysis included 105 randomized trials across age groups and settings, with 61 trials in its main adult-outpatient comparison. A 2026 study of a brief online intervention also found very small reductions in depressive symptoms from an action-planning component. This page borrows practical principles from this research, including that action can come before motivation. Neither finding validates the exact exercises on this page, which are offered as short-term coping rather than treatment. It is not a shortened form of treatment, and these brief exercises have not been validated as treatment.
Last reviewed: 8 October 2026