Behavioural Activation for Depression
Exercise: Putting RCA to Work
Look over the list of rumination situations you have made. Now, copy each one into the
column labelled “situation” in the table below. In the next column, write down what you were
ruminating about. Then, for each situation and rumination, list at least two other activities you
could engage in rather than ruminating. The first row gives an example.
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Situation
Rumination
Driving to work on
Monday.
I’m stuck in a bad
relationship. I’ll never
be happy or fulfilled in
my life.
Washing the pots,
tiredness, pain
Thinking about the
chores
Cues
Action
1. Sing along with the
radio.
2. Pay attention to what I’m
seeing as I drive.
1. Use mindfulness
skills to pay
attention to chore
e.g. 5 senses –
what can I feel,
see, smell?
2. Changing activity
e.g. reading 15-20
minutes