In this section you learned that emotion-driven behaviours are behaviours that your emotions “tell” you to do in the moment. You learned that sometimes they are adaptive to what’s going on, but that sometimes they might just be a false alarm and are steering you in the wrong direction and actually maintaining your problem. You learned that after determining that your emotion is actually sounding a false alarm, doing the opposite from what they tell you to do is the first step towards breaking the negative cycle of emotions.
Your homework is to make a list of your EDBs and possible opposite actions. Ideally, you’ll want to take the big step of actually trying out your opposite actions and see what happens. The Emotion-Driven Behaviours Tracking Form can help with this. Chances are, you’ll initially feel uncomfortable and you’ll feel the pull to revert to your old habits. It might even seem like they’re calling to you and because they may seem like old friends, it’ll be really tempting to go back. Remember though, while they may seem like your friends, they’re really only friends of the depression and/or anxiety you’re experiencing and are actually the enemies of you overcoming your problems and living more of the life you want. Stay strong and remember that the emotions will pass all on their own, without you having to do anything to change them.
When you’re engaging in opposite actions, it’ll be a really good time to practice your non-judging, passive observer skills of what you’re experiencing. If you do try some opposite actions, record what you did, how hard it was to do, and what you learned from it. Try working on one or two opposite actions and repeat them over the course of a few days. Chances are, it’ll get easier each time, and recording the level of difficulty each time will allow you to see the improvements you’re making.