How-to: Mates and Moments module

Here’s how it works:

The Mates and Moments module has been designed to help you reconnect with people and activities that may have fallen off due to a dip in your mental health.

Whether you’re working on improving your mental health or changing your substance use, it’s not unusual for people to notice that they have stopped doing things they used to enjoy or stopped doing them sober. This can include a lot of social activities.

Depression often leads to a vicious cycle where you stop doing activities that used to bring you joy because you assume they won't be enjoyable anymore. This lack of positive reinforcement can make you feel even worse. By intentionally scheduling pleasant activities and experimenting with social interactions, you can begin to break this cycle and rediscover the positive aspects of life. You also can find ways to directly challenge the assumptions that get in the way of doing these things when you’re in a slump.

Think about activities that you used to enjoy or that you think might be enjoyable. These could be simple activities like having a coffee, going for a walk, or more involved plans like attending events.

Choose an activity to participant in that involves social interaction, especially if it's something you might typically avoid. Predict how much you think you’ll enjoy the activity, on a scale from 0-10. Be honest: part of the problem we’re up against is that sometimes we really don’t think doing these things is worth the effort. What thoughts are behind this prediction? How strongly do you believe them?

While you’re participating in the planned activity, take a moment to check in and see if you’re being present and engaged. Observe your thoughts, feelings, and behaviours during the interaction.

After the activity, reflect on your experience. Compare your actual feelings and outcomes with your initial predictions. Note any discrepancies and what you learned from the experiment.

Use your reflections to adjust your expectations and plan future activities. Continue scheduling pleasant activities, building momentum and reversing the vicious cycle by challenging the negative assumptions you have about the activities.

Feel free to revisit this module and these instructions whenever you need support.

Let's get started on creating meaningful connections with your mates!

Once you’re finished, you’ll be able to access your answers again through My Support, so that you can refer back to them yourself later or share them with a support person.