If you're thinking about ending your life, or you're not safe right now, call 000 in Australia or 911 in the US. You can also call Lifeline on 13 11 14 in Australia, or call or text 988 in the US, any time. Anywhere else, findahelpline.com lists free local lines.
When nothing feels enjoyable
Low mood can take the enjoyment out of activities you used to like. Behavioural activation suggests doing small pleasant activities before you feel interested, and noticing how you feel after each one.
Losing interest has a name
The clinical word for losing interest or pleasure in activities you used to enjoy is anhedonia. The NHS lists having no motivation or interest, and not getting any enjoyment out of life, among the symptoms of depression. If it has lasted more than two weeks, talk to your GP.
Why waiting to feel interested can keep it going
When nothing feels enjoyable, it makes sense to wait until it does. Behavioural activation describes a loop: doing less leaves fewer chances for good moments, and that can make it harder to start another activity. The method asks you to do a small pleasant activity first and see how it feels.
Do it before you enjoy it
Pick a small activity you used to like, or one of these from the enjoyment list. Plan it for a set time.
- Make a nice cup of tea or coffee Enjoyment5 minutes
- Sing along to music Enjoyment5 minutes
- Look through old photos Enjoyment10 minutes
- Draw or doodle Enjoyment15 minutes
- Sit in a park Enjoyment15 minutes
When it's done, rate how much you enjoyed it from 0 to 10.
Expect small numbers at first
Early on, the scores may be low, and a 2 still counts. Keep a note of them. After a few weeks, look for the activities whose scores have gone up, and plan more of those. Scores can stay low for a while, and the pace is different for everyone.
Notice one good moment
During the activity, notice one moment you liked: the taste of the tea, a line of a song you know. Write it down afterwards, next to the score.
Where it comes from
Planning pleasant activities and rating them goes back to early behavioural research on depression by Peter Lewinsohn and colleagues in the 1970s and 1980s, including the Pleasant Events Schedule. Activity monitoring uses the same kind of ratings.
When to get more help
Has it lasted more than two weeks? Is it getting in the way of work, study or the people around you? Then talk to your GP. In Australia, your GP can refer you to a psychologist under a Mental Health Treatment Plan.
Beyond Blue is on 1300 22 4636 in Australia. If you're not safe, call 000 in Australia or 911 in the US. Lifeline is on 13 11 14, and in the US you can call or text 988. Anywhere else, see findahelpline.com.
What the research says
A 2020 Cochrane review brought together 53 studies of behavioural activation for depression in adults, with about 5,500 people. Five of those studies, with 601 people, compared it with CBT. The review found no clear difference between the two in the short term, up to six months after treatment, and rated that evidence as moderate certainty.
Behavioural activation is a recommended psychological approach for depression (RANZCP 2020; NICE NG222).
These studies tested behavioural activation with a therapist or trained mental health worker. They didn't test Bloom, and Bloom isn't therapy.
Behavioural activation step by step sets out the whole method.
Bloom does this with you
Bloom asks how you feel after each activity, so you can look back on which ones left you feeling better.
Sources
- NHS. Symptoms: clinical depression. Accessed 22 October 2026. www.nhs.uk/mental-health/conditions/depression-in-adults/symptoms/
- Lewinsohn PM, Libet J (1972). Pleasant events, activity schedules, and depressions. Journal of Abnormal Psychology 79: 291–295. doi.org/10.1037/h0033207
- MacPhillamy DJ, Lewinsohn PM (1982). The pleasant events schedule: studies on reliability, validity, and scale intercorrelation. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology 50: 363–380. doi.org/10.1037/0022-006X.50.3.363
- Kanter JW and others (2010). What is behavioral activation? Clinical Psychology Review 30: 608–620. doi.org/10.1016/j.cpr.2010.04.001
- Uphoff E and others (2020). Behavioural activation therapy for depression in adults. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews. doi.org/10.1002/14651858.CD013305.pub2
- NICE (2022). Depression in adults: treatment and management (NG222). www.nice.org.uk/guidance/ng222
- Malhi GS and others (2021). The 2020 Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Psychiatrists clinical practice guidelines for mood disorders. Australian and New Zealand Journal of Psychiatry 55: 7–117. www.ranzcp.org/getmedia/a8c79505-c0b5-46b4-9f27-67f79e047674/RANZCP-mood-disorders-clinical-practice-guideline-2020.pdf