The Standard

P1

CBI Session for the week of February 7th, 2022

Module 7 Session 2

Filling Up Your Tank (cont.)

Adapted from University of Michigan Department of Psychiatry Behavioral Activation for Depression Patient Manual

This week in CBI we began to explore the importance of POSITIVE EMOTIONS. Here's a quick review of the gas tank analogy:

If you don't have any fuel in your tank, you can't go far. But if your tank is full, you can go a long way.

Positive emotions fill our tank up so we can go further and accomplish more, especially during stressful times.

Today we are looking at specific activities that you can do to fill up your tank with positive emotions like pleasure, achievement, and confidence that we are living in line with our values.

BEFORE YOU GO ANY FURTHER...

Find a piece of paper and a pen or pencil. You will need them to write down some things as you go through the session, and then enter them in the form at the end of the session.

Do you have paper and pen?

If NO, go get them. Now. Go.

If YES, then PROCEED. :)

You have to ACT in order to FEEL better

Sometimes when we are anxious, depressed, or unmotivated, we feel like we don’t have the energy to do things. We say:

"Once I feel better, I will do it."

We have to remember that the feelings keeping us stuck are coming from parts of our brain that are trying to protect us by getting us to avoid or isolate. If we follow the lead of our feelings in these situations and WAIT for the energy to come to us, we will only become more anxious, depressed, and UNMOTIVATED.

In short, sometimes we have to

go out and DO things

in order to

GET ENERGY

rather than

waiting

until the energy comes to us.

Doing things, even when we don't FEEL like it, can change our brain chemistry and improve our mood right away.

There are four types of activities to plan and do when you are trying to create positive emotions.

Activities that involve ENJOYMENT
Activities focused on ACHIEVEMENT
Activities that promote CONNECTION
Activities that are in line with your VALUES

Let's look at each of those individually.

Enjoyment

“Enjoyment” involves activities, or “play” that we enjoy for the sake of the activity itself. It includes engaging in hobbies, games, spending time in nature, or spending time with a good friend.

Achievement

“Achievement" involves activities, such as work or sports, that involve the development of skills; we are able to accomplish things and feel a sense of mastery over our environment. When enjoyed in moderation and diversified well with other activities, they can increase positive emotions and improve how we feel about ourselves. Also, we may feel more creative as we learn to master certain skills, adding to the possibilities of enjoyment.

Connection

“Connection" involves activities that we do with others that we care about which help bring us closer. We may spend lots of time around or with other people, but still feel alone. When we engage in activities that further a sense of connection, we are intentionally trying to find ways to grow and strengthen relationships. This may include engaging in pleasurable activities with others, going on a date, or just spending time talking about things that are important to us.

Values

“Values” are what we find meaningful in life. They are the most important things to us. Everyone has different values, and for each of us they can change over time. They are like a compass, pointing us in the direction we want to go.

Let's dig into VALUES a bit more.

Values are important to explore, because much of our goal-directed activities are rooted in a foundation of what we value. For example, someone may value a healthy lifestyle and set a goal to exercise daily. Another person may value family and choose to schedule time with their family members. Or if someone doesn't have a family, their activities could lead to getting married and starting one.

Below is a list of categories of values, as well as specific values in each category.

Choose 5 values from the list below that are important to YOU and WRITE THEM DOWN.

(You will be entering them in the form at the end of the session.)

Behavioral-Activation-Values.pdf

Now, keeping in mind the values you just wrote down, read through the list below of activities*. Please note that the list is 3 pages long - look through all 3 pages.

From this list, WRITE DOWN:

3 activities that will give you a sense of ENJOYMENT
3 activities that will give you a sense of ACHIEVEMENT
3 activities that will help you to increase your sense of CONNECTION with the people you love

You may also choose to write down your own ideas for activities that are not on the list but still give you a sense of pleasure, achievement, or connection.

You will be entering the activities you write down in the form at the end of the session.

*Some of the activities on the list may not be doable during the current shelter-in-place order due to COVID-19. Try to choose ones that are doable, or that can be modified to be doable given current circumstances. For example, if you chose the activity "go to a zoo or museum", you could take a virtual tour of a zoo or museum on the internet.

big list of pleasurable activities for website.pdf

Great! One more thing, before we get to the part where you fill out the form...

Tips for Motivation

Here are some tips to help increase and maintain your motivation to do these activities, even when you don't FEEL like it.

Keep activities simple - break big tasks into smaller steps
Set realistic goals
Schedule activities at times when you are most likely to success
Anticipate some setbacks and use self-compassion when you experience a setback
Reward yourself when you are successful
Reflect on what works and what doesn't; do more of what works and less of what doesn't
Change your environment if you are able and minimize distractions
Talk yourself into action - challenge negative thinking!
Start with just 5 minutes of an activity, working your way up from there
Ask someone to hold you accountable to completing your activities
Focus on doing things that are in line with you values and the kind of person you want to be

Now that you've reviewed the lesson on Filling Up Your Tank Part II, take a few minutes to reflect on your own experience and answer the following questions.

Be sure to read the all the directions carefully before answering the questions!

Don't forget to complete all sections and click submit at the bottom to get credit for this Virtual CBI session!

(Technical Tip: If you get a white screen after you click "next" or "submit", SCROLL UP. The next page is further up on the screen.)

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