The Scaffolding of Mental Health
Often, especially when one is feeling down or depressed, one feels the need to rest, and to conserve energy, as one feels as if one has so little of it. And don’t we all need a lot of downtime to cope with all of the aforementioned responsibilities? Actually, the answer is often, no, we don’t.
Downtime actually saps our energy, especially considering that it is when we are idle that we “get in our heads” and think about how overwhelming life is. Being busy with activities that are meaningful and fulfilling to us gets us out of those negative head spaces and increases our energy level. Think of the way a ball rolling down a hill picks up speed and momentum. Our bodies work in much the same way.
Adding structured activities to our daily and weekly routine also makes us use what little time we have left more efficiently. It makes that downtime feel more valuable and well-earned, so if we want to spend it watching TV or playing video games, we’re less likely to feel guilty.
It also often surprises us what we can accomplish. Maybe you thought you didn’t have time to exercise every other day, or work on a creative pursuit, or volunteer, or apply to new jobs. But when you start to gradually add these activities, you’ll likely find that you have time for all of the above and more.
In CBT, we call this “behavior activation,” and it is the scaffolding of mental health. If we work together, you may discover that you don’t need to get better before you can accomplish more goals. Rather, you may find that accomplishing more goals IS what gets you better!