Managing
Low Mood
Workbook
Contents
Session 1 – Introduction………………….……………….…..01
Session 2 – Sleep & Appetite……….………………………..13
Session 3 – Activity & Motivation…………...…….……..….18
Session 4 – Living a Values-Based Life..…..………………25
Session 5 – Problem Solving & Rumination..……………..31
Session 6 – Relapse Prevention & Moving Forward…….38
Managing Low Mood provides treatment for
symptoms of depression and is based upon
principles of cognitive behaviour therapy (CBT). The
course consists of five weekly sessions, each
focused on a different topic relevant to low mood.
Behavioural Activation (BA)
Behavioural Activation is a treatment which looks at
making changes to our behaviour in a structured,
evidence-based way, in order to improve wellbeing.
How does BA work?
Perhaps the most common behaviour change when we are
feeling low is avoidance. We might start to avoid social
situations, avoid doing things we previously enjoyed, or
other things that require effort such as housework.
By avoiding effort, we experience temporary relief.
Avoidance is therefore a form of negative reinforcement.
This makes us avoid further. Avoidance works in the short
term, but in the long term it makes the problem worse.
As we avoid, we reduce the social and personal activities
that bring us pleasure and achievement. Therefore we
experience less positive reinforcement for these activities.
This makes us reduce these activities further.
These maintain a vicious cycle of avoidance and reduced
opportunity for positive reinforcement. Behavioural
Activation works to break the cycle, by targeting different
types of behaviours.
1
Personal Projects
Therapy is an experiential process, so the tools and
techniques covered in the sessions need to be
transferred outside of the session to everyday life in
order to have a positive impact on your mood.
This course uses change method to help make
meaningful behavioural changes each week, with
the overall goal of regulating activity levels and
reducing symptoms of depression.
The personal projects set for the group will help you
to implement new skills and techniques by
practicing them in-between sessions.
We will be referring back to each week’s personal
projects in the following session.
2
Change Balance Sheet
Advantages of attending group Disadvantages of attending
and doing projects group and doing projects
Advantages of not attending Disadvantages of not attending
group and doing projects group and doing projects
3
What is Depression?
Depression is more than simply feeling unhappy or
fed up for a few days.
Most people go through periods of feeling down, but
when you're depressed you feel persistently sad for
weeks or months, rather than just a few days.
Some people think depression is trivial and not a
genuine health condition. They're wrong – it is a real
illness with real symptoms. Depression isn't a sign of
weakness or something you can "snap out of" by
"pulling yourself together".
Even though you might feel alone, depression is very
common. One-in-four people will experience
depression at some point in their life
The good news is that with the right treatment and
support, most people with depression can make a
full recovery.
4
Symptoms of Depression
Depression affects people in different ways and can
cause a wide variety of symptoms.
They range from lasting feelings of unhappiness and
hopelessness, to losing interest in the things you
used to enjoy and feeling very tearful. Many people
with depression also have symptoms of anxiety.
There can be physical symptoms too, such as feeling
constantly tired, sleeping badly, having no appetite
or sex drive, and various aches and pains.
The symptoms of depression range from mild to
severe. At its mildest, you may simply feel
persistently low in spirit, while severe depression
can make you feel suicidal, that life is no longer
worth living.
Most people experience feelings of stress,
unhappiness or anxiety during difficult times. A low
mood may improve after a short period of time,
rather than being a sign of depression.
5
Understanding Depression
When feeling low we might find ourselves feeling
and acting differently, in a vicious cycle that feels
hard to break out of. We can use this model to
understand what might be happening when we are
low, this can help us to begin breaking this cycle
6
My Vicious Cycle
What happened
(Stressful life events, triggers from past etc.)
How you feel
(emotions)
What you do
(or don’t do)
7
Problem Statement
A problem statement is a short summary of how
things are for you now. It is a baseline to measure
your progress against and helps you to set goals
for treatment.
For example…
My main problem is feeling depressed
This is triggered by difficulties at work
I feel upset and frustrated
My physical symptoms are tiredness
I avoid social activities and exercise
I have thoughts of “what’s the point?”
As a consequence, I am signed off sick currently
Now write your own problem statement in the
space below…
8
SMART Goals
It may be helpful to start to consider some goals to
help guide treatment as you proceed through this
course. To do this, it can be helpful to break down
our goals and make them Specific, Measurable,
Achievable, Realistic and Time-related.
An example would be; ‘I want to be able to go to the
corner shop next Monday at 9am to buy milk and
bread’.
Have a go at coming up with your own SMART Goal
below and use the check list to check its SMART.
My SMART goal to work towards is…
_____________________________________________
_____________________________________________
_____________________________________________
_____________________________________________
9
10
Self-Practice Record Form
What I am committing to do?
How often will I do it? (How many times per week/day)
What I did Comments
Monday
Tuesday
Wednesday
Thursday
Friday
Saturday
Sunday
Discussion points for the next session
11
Week One Notes
§ Between sessions:
§ Complete your SMART goal and problem statement
§ Complete your Change Balance Sheet
§ Complete your Low Mood Cycle
12
Sleep and Low Mood
Regularly getting a good night’s sleep is important for our
wellbeing. Most of us at some stage in our lives will
experience some sort of sleep problem which can be made
worse by low mood and can also impact on our behaviour.
Sleep Hygiene
n Establish a routine with a regular bedtime and regular
waking time
n If you can’t sleep, within half an hour - get out of bed
n Be aware of caffeine and alcohol intake
n Turn your bedroom into a sleep friendly environment
n Establish soothing pre-sleep routine (reading, soft
relaxing music)
n Try not to nap in the day/evening
n Exercise during the daytime
Keep a notebook by the bed to record anxious thoughts,
worries or “things to do” that pay pop into your head
13
14
15
Self-Practice Record Form
What I am committing to do?
How often will I do it? (How many times per week/day)
What I did Comments
Monday
Tuesday
Wednesday
Thursday
Friday
Saturday
Sunday
Discussion points for the next session
16
Week Two Notes
§ Between sessions:
§ Schedule a regular time to wake up and implement this over the next week
§ Choose one meal e.g. breakfast, and schedule/implement this using a meal
planner
§ Optional… complete a sleep diary if you feel this would be helpful for you
§
17
Identifying Activities
Routine activities are done day to day to make our lives
more comfortable e.g. housework
Necessary activities are essential and the longer we leave
them the worse the negative consequences e.g. paying
bills
Pleasurable activities give a sense of achievement or
connectedness to others and improve our quality of life
Routine Necessary Pleasurable
Washing dishes Paying bills Seeing friends
Eating meals Booking Drs appt. Learning new skill
Hoovering Food shopping Gardening
Washing the car Taxing car Singing in choir
Regular bedtime Updating CV Taking a bath
Going to the gym Medication Walking the dog
Doing laundry Personal care Baking a cake
18
Identifying Activities
Identify activities that you think you’re
not doing or no longer find pleasure in
19
Ranking Activities
Rank activities in order of how difficult
they would be to carry out currently
20
Implementation and Monitoring
The final step of Behavioural Activation is to complete the
activities you have planned into your diary
Monitoring Your Mood
Monitoring your mood during behavioural activation allows
you to see the effect that carrying out these activities can
have on your mood
Being Flexible
Day to day life can throw obstacles into our path
unexpectedly; it may be that you cannot complete a
planned activity due to such obstacles. It is important to be
flexible, activities not complete can be postponed to a later
day when you feel it would be more achievable
Increasing Activity Levels
Once you have completed your first week of behavioural
activation you might find that you wish to begin to add more
activities gradually into the diary at your own pace.
Remember this is a gradual process and should not be
rushed
Obstacles and Solutions
Too difficult to start Try the activity for just 5 minutes
Tasks are too large Break tasks down further
Lack of energy or motivation Be time specific instead of tasks specific
Not enough time Prioritise and ensure a balance
No improvement in mood Complete activities in spite of how you
feel, not because of how you feel
21
22
Self-Practice Record Form
What I am committing to do?
How often will I do it? (How many times per week/day)
What I did Comments
Monday
Tuesday
Wednesday
Thursday
Friday
Saturday
Sunday
Discussion points for the next session
23
Week Three Notes
§ Between sessions:
§ Identify routine, necessary and pleasurable activities that you are avoiding or
putting off
§ Rank activities in order of how difficult they would be to carry out currently
§ Schedule and complete at least 1-2 easy activities using your BA diary
§ Monitor your mood before and after completing tasks on the schedule
24
Is your Life in Balance?
Below you can find areas of life that are valued by some people. This
questionnaire will help clarify your own quality of life in these areas.
Rate the importance of each area (by circling a number) on a scale of 1-10 (1
means that area is not important, 10 means that area is very important).
Not everyone will value all of these areas, or value all areas the same. Rate
each area according to your own personal sense of importance.
Area Not Important Very
Important
Family 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
Intimate 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
Relationships
Parenting 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
Friends/Social Life 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
Work 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
Education/Training 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
Recreation/Fun 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
Spirituality 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
Citizenship 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
Health 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
25
Time, Effort and Head Space
Now, give a rating to how much time, effort and head space you currently put
into each area.
In other words, how in line with your values are you? Are you living your life in
accordance with your values?
1 = little time, effort and ‘head space’
10 = Maximum time, effort and ‘head space’
Area Minimum
Maximum
Family 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
Intimate 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
Relationships
Parenting 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
Friends/Social Life 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
Work 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
Education/Training 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
Recreation/Fun 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
Spirituality 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
Citizenship 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
Health 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
Value to step closer to _______________________________________________
26
Values and Activity
27
28
Self-Practice Record Form
What I am committing to do?
How often will I do it? (How many times per week/day)
What I did Comments
Monday
Tuesday
Wednesday
Thursday
Friday
Saturday
Sunday
Discussion points for the next session
29
Week Four Notes
§ Between sessions:
§ Completed values questionnaire rating importance followed by time, effort and
headspace
§ Identify several value-oriented activities e.g. friendship – go for a coffee with a
friend
§ Schedule at complete at least 1-2 value-oriented activities
30
Problem Solving
Identify problem
List possible solutions
Solution Advantages Disadvantages
31
Problem Solving
Select one solution
Make an action plan
Steps What, Where, When and Who…
Review solution
What went well?
What could you do
differently?
32
Rumination
What Is Rumination?
Ruminating is simply repetitively going over a thought or a
problem without completion. When people are depressed,
the themes of rumination are typically about being
inadequate or worthless. When you feel depressed you can
find that you can spend large amounts of your day stuck in
this negative thought pattern.
Rumination as Avoidance
Most people find that much of the time rumination makes
them feel worse and reduces their motivation to do things.
When people spend so much time in their heads, trying to
sort out the problem, they don’t actually take action to
solve the problem. As a result Rumination becomes
another form of avoidance.
People who ruminate more…
§ Tend to get depressed more often and for longer
§ Become more negative
§ Are less effective at solving problems
§ Have less motivation and energy
§ Have difficulty paying attention to their environment
§ Engage others in rumination. This can push other
people away.
33
34
Re-focus Attention - Mundane
Tasks
When we are ruminating we are distracted from
whatever else we are doing.
If we can reconnect with what we are doing by
refocusing our attention then the rumination will
reduce.
Take a moment to write down the various everyday routine tasks you do, that
you could use as an opportunity to focus your attention (e.g. eating a meal)
35
Self-Practice Record Form
What I am committing to do?
How often will I do it? (How many times per week/day)
What I did Comments
Monday
Tuesday
Wednesday
Thursday
Friday
Saturday
Sunday
Discussion points for the next session
36
Week Five Notes
§ Between sessions:
§ Identify at least one practical problem and apply problem solving using the 6
steps
§ Use your rumination diary to begin record when you are ruminating and the
content of your rumination (is this a problem that can be solved?)
§ Practice connecting with the present using the 54321 technique
37
My Early Warning Signs
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Make a note of symptoms that you experience when you feel low.
Keeping an eye out for these will help you to recognise when your
mood is worsening. It’s normal for our mood to go up and down as
situations and events around us continue to change day to day but
knowing what our warning signs are can help
38
Therapy Blueprint
How did the
problem develop?
What kept the
problem going?
e.g. thoughts or
actions
What are the most
important things I
learned in
therapy?
What do I need to
keep doing to
maintain my
progress?
What can I do if a
setback occurs?
How can I
overcome it?
39
My Check-in Period
My Check-in time:
How have I been feeling this week?
Have I noticed any my early warning signs?
Is there a need to do something now?
What has helped me before?
What can I do now and when am I going to do it?
40
Goals for the Future
Having some goals in place to follow on from treatment, can help
us to stay focused and keep on track.
Remember to keep them SMART and if it feels too overwhelming to
begin with, break it down into little steps
What do I want to achieve?
How will I measure it?
How will I achieve it?
What will I need to carry it out?
When do I want to do it by?
41
Self-Practice Record Form
What I am committing to do?
How often will I do it? (How many times per week/day)
What I did Comments
Monday
Tuesday
Wednesday
Thursday
Friday
Saturday
Sunday
Discussion points for the next session
42
Week Six Notes
§ Final session:
§ Complete your Therapy Blueprint
§ Schedule your check-in period for the next couple of weeks
§ Write down your SMART goal for the future
§ Schedule a group review appointment if necessary
43
Need Further Support?
If you are concerned about your safety
or you do not feel able to keep yourself
safe, please contact one of the
following for support:
• GP
• NHS 111
• Samaritans
Freephone: 116 123
Email: jo@samaritans.org
• In an emergency, attend your
Accident and Emergency Department
at your local hospital or dial 999
44
