Step 2: Alternative Behaviors
For every behavior that makes you feel badly, there is some alternative behavior that can either make you feel better or improve your life situation. If your kitchen is a mess and there are dirty dishes piled in the sink, turning away from it all and taking a nap is likely to make you feel more depressed in the long run. However, if you simply wash and dry the glassware, or the silverware, even if you leave the other dishes unattended to, it may bring a sense of relief or at least make an improvement in the state of your kitchen.
Exercise: Finding Alternative Behaviors
For each situation and behavior, think of as many alternative behaviors as you can and write them down in the space that you left blank in the previous exercise. Try not to judge whether particular behaviors will be helpful. At this point, you want to brain-storm and include as many alternatives as possible. Try to think of behaviors that may help to improve your mood, but include behaviors that may worsen your mood or have no effect at all. The goal is to be as open-minded as possible about alternatives.
