Behavioral Activation is a CBT technique that uses opposite action, one of the emotion regulation dialectical behavior skills. to help us improve our mood by changing our behavior.
When we’re feeling depressed we tend to not want to do much of anything, which only leaves us feeling more depressed. With behavioral activation, we work on increasing our level of activity by engaging in activities that give us a sense of pleasure, achievement, and/or social connection. Behavioral activation is one of the most effective things we can do to help lift our mood and start to pull ourselves out of a period of feeling depressed.