Using Behavioural Activation to Manage the Sunday Night Blues!
- Tonya Beattie
- Dec 8, 2024
- 2 min read
Updated: Dec 8, 2024
Are the Sunday night blues setting in?
We hear you! Sunday night blues can be tough. The anticipation of the work week ahead or the shift in energy from the weekend to the weekday can bring on feelings of stress or even a bit of dread, especially when daylight hours are decreased.
Sometimes, just acknowledging how you're feeling can make a big difference. Are you feeling overwhelmed with what’s coming up, or is it more about the weekend ending too soon?
Using behavioral activation may help challenge low motivation for the week ahead! Behavioural activation focuses on helping to engage in meaningful activities that can improve mood and overall well-being. The underlying idea is that low mood often leads to a cycle of withdrawal, inactivity, and negative thinking, which further perpetuates feelings of sadness or hopelessness. By actively engaging in positive or rewarding activities, we can disrupt this cycle and improve our mental health. Strategies to try out include:
Activity Monitoring: The first step often involves tracking daily activities to identify patterns. People typically notice that when they're depressed, they tend to do fewer pleasurable or meaningful activities, which can worsen their mood.
Identifying and Increasing Positive Activities: Once you identify activities that could improve mood or offer a sense of accomplishment, the goal is to increase them. This can include things like social interactions, hobbies, physical activity, or anything else that provides a sense of reward or satisfaction.
Addressing Avoidance Behaviors: Depression often leads to avoidance of tasks or situations, such as avoiding work, socializing, or even leaving the house. Behavioral activation encourages confronting these avoided situations gradually to reduce anxiety and increase feelings of control and mastery.
Breaking the Cycle of Inactivity: Inactivity or withdrawing from others can deepen feelings of isolation and sadness. By engaging in more purposeful actions, you can break the cycle of disengagement and improve your mood.
Goal Setting: Behavioral activation helps individuals set realistic, incremental goals that are achievable. These goals should focus on increasing engagement with life and creating small successes that can build momentum over time.
Would any of these strategies work for you right now? Sometimes just a small tweak in perspective can make a big difference, increase our motivation, and improve overall mood. Small steps really do add up over time, and they can lead to big, lasting change. The beauty of taking small steps is that they make the process feel more manageable and less overwhelming. Each small step is like a tiny victory that builds momentum, which eventually creates larger progress.
Think about it this way: when you're planting a seed, it doesn't bloom overnight. But with consistent care—little waterings, small adjustments to the soil—it gradually grows into something much bigger. Change works the same way. By focusing on one small action at a time, you can build habits, improve your mindset, and make meaningful progress. Do you need support in learning more about behavioural activation or want support in challenging and changing patterns that are holding you back or limiting you in moving forward? We can help you to find your Clarity!
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