1. Activity monitoring
   
   

• • Purpose: Track how your daily activities affect your mood.
  • What to do: Write down what you do each hour for a few days. Then rate each activity for:
  • Pleasure (0–10).
  • Mastery (how productive/accomplished you felt, 0–10).
  • Worksheet: PsychologyTools – Daily Activity Diary (PDF).

2. Activity scheduling

• • Purpose: Plan out activities in advance that give you pleasure or a degree of accomplishment.
  • What to do: Schedule at least 1 enjoyable or purposeful activity per day.
  • Include a mix of:
    • Physical (walking, stretching).
    • Social (e.g., calling a friend).
    • Goal-oriented, such as tidying a space.
    • Fun/creative, like drawing or music.

• • Worksheet: TherapistAid – Behavioral Activation Planning Worksheet (PDF).

3. Values-based goal setting
   
   

• • Purpose: Find out what truly matters to you and set action steps based on it.
  • What to do: Reflect on key areas of life (relationships, health, work, growth). Then create small goals based on your values instead of just “shoulds.”
  • Worksheet: BA Values & Goals Worksheet (TherapistAid).

4. Avoidance pattern mapping

• • Purpose: Identify where avoidance is keeping you stuck.
  • What to do: List areas where you’ve been withdrawing (skipping workouts, ghosting people, staying in bed).

Track:

• • What you’re avoiding.
  • Why you avoid it.
  • What it costs you emotionally.

• • Worksheet: Avoidance Worksheet – GetSelfHelp UK (PDF).

5. Behavioral experiment planning

• • Purpose: Test out beliefs like “If I go out, I’ll feel worse.”
  • What to do: Create a “mini experiment” with a hypothesis.

Example:

• • Belief: “Going for a walk won’t help.”
  • Experiment: Take a 10-minute walk.
  • Outcome: Rate your mood before/after and reflect.
  • Worksheet: Behavioral Experiment Form (Psychology Tools).

Bundled worksheet packs (PDFs)

• • Get Self Help UK BA Workbook (Free, Printable)
    Link (PDF).

• • • Includes values, avoidance tracking, daily planner, and more.

• • Behavioural Activation Toolkit (Wellbeing Glasgow)
    Link (PDF).

• • • Great for self-help. Includes action plans and weekly review sheets.

• • TherapistAid worksheets (Free with PDF downloads).

6. The TRAP–TRAC model

• • Purpose: Identify patterns of avoidance (TRAP) and replace them with constructive actions (TRAC).
  • TRAP = Trigger → Response → Avoidance Pattern
  • TRAC = Trigger → Response → Alternative Coping

Helps break unhelpful cycles like:
“I feel down → I stay in bed → I feel worse.”

• • Worksheet (PDF): TRAP–TRAC Worksheet.

7. 10-minute activation plan
   
   

• • Purpose: Build momentum with tiny, achievable objectives.
  • What to do: Pick one micro-activity that takes ≤10 minutes.
    • Commit to doing it daily for a week.
    • Log your mood before and after.

• • Make it a printable (or use this as a template):

Day	Task	Mood Before (0–10)	Mood After (0–10)	Notes

8. Graded task assignment

• • Purpose: Break down overwhelming tasks into steps to reduce avoidance and build mastery.
  • Example: “Clean apartment” becomes:
    1. Pick up clothes (5 mins).
    2. Take out trash.
    3. Wipe surfaces.
    4. Vacuum only 1 room.

• • Worksheet (PDF): Graded Task Assignment Sheet – CCI.

9. Pleasant events checklist
   
   

• • Purpose: Identify low-effort, high-impact activities for mood improvement.
  • Use a list of 100+ activities and rate them for enjoyment, feasibility, and how often you’ve done them lately.
  • Worksheet (PDF): Pleasant Events Schedule.
  • Or try the customizable version:

• • • Psychology Tools – Custom Activity Bank.

10. Behavioral activation card sort (values edition)

• • Purpose: Help people visually and experientially connect with what matters most, then build actions around those values.
  • What to do: Write values or roles (e.g., friend, creative, learner, helper) on index cards.
    • Sort into: Important, not important, unsure.
    • Then match 1 activity to each high-value card.

This works well for creative clients or those stuck in emotional numbness.

11. Behavioral activation relapse prevention plan

• • Purpose: Create a “wellness roadmap” to revisit if depression returns.

• • Identify:

• • • Early warning signs of relapse.
    • Behaviors that help you feel better.
    • Triggers that tend to derail you.
    • A written BA action plan for flare-ups.

• • Template ideas for a worksheet:

• • • “If I notice ____ happening, I’ll try ____.”
    • “These activities keep me grounded: ____.”
    • “People I can reach out to: ____.”

This makes BA a long-term strategy rather than just a short-term fix.

12. Behavior–mood feedback loops

• • Purpose: Spot behavior-mood patterns over a week.
  • How it works:
    • Log one behavior + one emotion per day.

• • • Review patterns weekly with questions like:

• • • • “Which actions lifted my attitude the most?”
      • “Which made me feel worse or stuck?”

• • Worksheet layout:

Date	Behavior	Mood After (0–10)	Energy Level	Notes

This helps identify which types of actions work best for that person, rather than assuming all “positive” actions are equally effective.

13. BA for social withdrawal
    
    

• • Purpose: Re-engage socially without overwhelm (great for atypical or interpersonal depression).

• • Exercise:

• • • List low-effort, low-anxiety social activities (texting, sharing a meme, waving to a neighbor).
    • Rate each activity for:
    • Anticipated discomfort (0–10).
    • Anticipated reward (0–10).
    • Pick 1–2 low-barrier actions per week.

• • Worksheet: “Small social steps for connection”
  • Add a column: “What happened?” + “Did it feel better or worse than expected?”

Final note

Behavioral activation works by treating depression holistically, which means practically through action, social engagement, cognitive shifts, and physiological changes.

Its simplicity, adaptability, and ability to produce visible results make it one of the most helpful treatments for depression.

BA promotes recovery by tackling both the psychological and physical components of depression.