Take Action for Motivation

An individual sets an intention to go for a walk after dinner. However, when the time comes to go for their walk they find they are too tired, it’s too dark, or too cold to go for their walk. They decide to postpone their walk for a nicer day, when they’ll have more energy.

We all set well-meaning intentions to improve our overall health and quality of life. Things like getting more steps, going to the gym or eating more vegetables.  Too often these intentions lay stagnant, delayed while we wait for the “right time”, the energy, or the motivation to get started.

The strategy of waiting for motivation before taking action is destined to fail. Instead, behaviour scientists have found that motivation is built by taking action first.  In our walking example, going for a walk increases the person’s energy, builds their self-confidence in dressing for cold weather, and helps to build motivation for future walks.

Behavioural activation (BA) is a cognitive behavioural strategy that can be used to help improve your mental health.  If you’re interested in learning more or trying BA yourself, check out this manual from the University of Michigan. While this manual is focused on BA for depression, these skills can be used by everyone.