Pleasurable Activities

When people are depressed they often lose interest in activities they used to enjoy and they often forget about how pleasurable these activities used to be. Incorporating these activities in your day can have a positive impact on your mood and how you feel about yourself. These activities are ones that bring you enjoyment, that you do well and where performance is not measured.

Scheduling time for fun and enjoyment is a powerful way to lift your mood and balance your life. Even though you may not feel motivated, or get the same amount of pleasure out of activities that you used to, we recommend that you commit to scheduling some fun activity each day. The reality is that the less you do, the more depressed you feel. The more depressed you feel, the less you do! This is a vicious cycle you can break by INCREASING those activities which make you feel better.

These activities can be called:

“pleasant”
“rewarding”
“meaningful”
“inspiring”
“relaxing”

These activities DO NOT have to be special activities. They can be very small and simple activities such as watching your favorite comedy on TV or petting your cat or dog. When people are depressed, it is even harder to remember pleasant things. To help you come up with your personal list of activities which make you feel good, use this “LIST OF PLEASANT ACTIVITIES” on the next page. Circle the ones you used to find pleasurable or that you think you may be interested in trying. Add additional activities to the list that you have found enjoyable in the past.

LIST OF PLEASURABLE ACTIVITIES

1. Wear clothes I like

2. Be outdoors (beach, country…)

3. Watch or participate in sports

4. Do artwork or crafts

5. Read books or magazines

6. Rearrange my room or house

7. Hear lectures or sermons

8. Boating

9. Play board games

10. Solve a puzzle

11. Take a long bath or shower

12. Do outdoor work

13. Hear jokes, or comedy routines

14. See beautiful scenery

15. Be downtown

16. Be with relatives

17. Talk on the phone

18. Cook meals

19. Eat out

20. Write in a diary

21. Listen to music

22. Go to the library

23. Repair things

24. Ride a bike

25. Care for house plants

26. Take a walk

27. Do things with children

28. Travel

29. Play with pets

30. Exercise

31. Do volunteer work

32. Walk barefoot

33. Say prayers

34. Kiss

35. Learn to do something new

36. Go to health clubs, sauna

37. Help others

38. Improve my health (new glasses, fix teeth, change diet)

39. Help a group I respect

40. Work on machines (cars, bikes)

Click here to download Introduction to
Self Management For Depression manual with
additional exercise section [PDF]