Digital Tool

Behavioral Activation Activity Planning Diary

The Behavioral Activation Activity Planning Diary is a worksheet designed to support activity planning.

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Psychology Tools resource: Behavioral Activation Activity Planning Diary

Behavioral Activation Activity Planning Diary

When we struggle with our mood, we often feel less motivated and become less active. If this goes on for a long time, we can lose touch with the things we care about and what makes us happy. This can create a negative cycle of less activity and worsening mood.

Behavioral activation (BA) is based on the finding that we can improve our mood by becoming more active. Over time, being more active can boost our motivation, lift our mood, and reduce symptoms of depression.

The Behavioral Activation Activity Planning Diary can help you:

  • Understand how active you are and how you spend your time. Doing too much or too little of something might be contributing to your difficulties.
  • Discover links between your difficulties and your activities. You may find that your mood changes in response to certain activities. For instance, you might feel better when you’re physically active.
  • Use your time differently. Doing more of the things that matter to you can help with a range of emotional difficulties.

Overview

Behavioral activation (BA) is an effective treatment for depression. Different behavioral activation protocols include a variety of treatment components, but all contain steps of activity monitoring and activity planning / scheduling. The Behavioral Activation Activity Planning Diary is a worksheet designed for activity scheduling within BA. This diary is in a 7-day format and includes sections for: recording planned activity in the morning / afternoon / evening; prompts to help clients to record the most helpful kinds of information.

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