Self-help guide
Small steps that help colour come back to your days.
A gentle, evidence-based guide to lifting low mood, written by our clinicians for anyone going through a flat or heavy stretch.
If most days feel flat or heavy, and the things you used to enjoy have lost their pull, you are not failing and you are not alone. Low mood is common, it is understandable, and there are small, doable things that can help.
This page is general information, written by our clinicians to share what tends to help when mood is low. It is not personal clinical advice and it is not a way to diagnose yourself. Everyone is different, so if something here does not fit you, that is alright. If low mood is weighing on your daily life, talking it through with your GP or a psychologist is a good next step.
What is going on
The loop that keeps low mood going
Low mood has a way of feeding itself. Understanding the loop is often the first thing that loosens it.
When mood drops, energy and interest usually drop with it. Activities feel like too much, so we naturally do less, rest more, and step back from people and routines. That makes complete sense in the moment. The difficulty is that doing less also removes the small lifts, the sense of getting things done, the moments of connection, the bits of pleasure, that normally help mood along. With fewer of those, mood tends to sink a little further, which makes doing things feel even harder. Low mood, then doing less, then feeling worse: round it goes.
There is a quiet trap inside this loop. Most of us wait to feel motivated before we act, and we assume the energy should come first. With low mood, that wait can stretch on for a long time. Australian and international guidance on depression points the other way: motivation often follows action rather than arriving before it. When you take a small step first, the sense of doing it, however modest, is what tends to bring a little energy and momentum back. This is the idea behind an approach called behavioural activation, and it is one of the most well-supported things you can do for low mood.
This loop describes ordinary low mood, not its cause. Low mood can also come from physical health, sleep, medication, thyroid and other conditions, or from grief, loss or a major change. If yours has lingered, it is worth a check-in with your GP so the whole picture is in view.
Things that can help
Small steps that gently lift mood
None of these are about trying harder or pushing through. They are small, kind, doable steps, and you do not need to do them all. Pick one to start with.
- Start with one small, doable activity. This is the heart of behavioural activation. Choose something small that used to matter or that gives a sense of getting things done, a short walk, a shower, one load of washing, a text to a friend, and do it before you feel ready. Keep it small enough that it feels possible on a low day, and let the lift follow the action.
- Keep a gentle routine, and get outside. Regular anchors through the day, roughly when you wake, eat, move and sleep, give low mood less room to drift. A little time outside and some daylight, even a few minutes in the garden or on the footpath, helps many people feel steadier.
- Stay connected, even in small ways. Low mood pulls us to withdraw, and connection is one of the things that helps most. It does not have to be a big effort. A short message, sitting with someone, a quick call, or simply being around others counts. Letting one person know how you are going can lighten the load.
- Notice and soften harsh self-talk. Low mood brings a critical inner voice that is quick to count your faults and treat thoughts as facts. You do not have to win an argument with it. It can help to notice the thought, name it as the low mood talking, and ask whether you would speak that way to a friend. Aim for kinder and more accurate, not relentlessly positive.
- Move your body in a way that suits you. Physical activity is one of the better-supported steps for low mood. It does not mean the gym. A walk, a stretch, some gardening, anything that gets you moving a little more than yesterday is enough to start. Begin small and build slowly.
- Limit going over and over things. Replaying worries and regrets, sometimes called rumination, tends to deepen low mood without solving anything. When you notice the spiral, it can help to gently shift your attention to something in the present, a task, your senses, a short activity, rather than trying to think your way out. Setting the problem aside for now is not avoiding it; it is giving your mind a rest.
Go gently and expect an uneven path. Some days will feel harder than others, and that is normal, not a sign you are doing it wrong. One small step, repeated, does more than a big plan you cannot keep.
“You do not have to feel motivated to begin. Start with one small step, and let a little energy follow.”
When to seek more help
When to reach out, and where
Self-help has real limits, and reaching out is a strength, not a failure. Please get in touch with your GP or a psychologist soon if any of these fit you.
- Low mood has lasted more than two weeks and is not lifting
- It is affecting your daily life, your work, study, relationships, sleep or appetite
- The small steps here are not helping, or low mood is getting heavier
- You are using alcohol or other things to cope, or pulling away from almost everyone
If you are having thoughts of not wanting to be here, of ending your life, or of harming yourself, please reach out today. You deserve support, and help is available right now. Call Lifeline any time on 13 11 14, and in an emergency, or if you or someone else is in immediate danger, call 000. You can also speak with your GP, who can help you find the right support quickly. You do not have to manage this on your own.
If you would like someone alongside you
If low mood has settled in and you would like support working through it, our psychologists can help, at a pace that suits you. You can read more on our Low mood and depression therapy page, request an appointment, or call 0452 452 262. You do not need a referral for a private appointment.
Request an appointmentSources: beyondblue, information on depression, low mood and behavioural activation (beyondblue.org.au). Black Dog Institute, self-help and evidence-based resources for depression and low mood (blackdoginstitute.org.au). Centre for Clinical Interventions (CCI, WA Health), Back from the Bluez self-help modules on coping with depression, including behavioural activation and reducing rumination (cci.health.wa.gov.au). This Way Up, online programs and resources for low mood and depression (thiswayup.org.au). This page is general information written by our clinicians, not a substitute for personal clinical advice or a diagnosis. These are general resources; if you are unsure what fits you, please talk with your GP or a psychologist. If you are in distress, Lifeline is available any time on 13 11 14, and in an emergency call 000.