Walking: Activity Scheduling / Behavioral Activation

Been stumbling across more short-form content on walking lately. Thought I’d share some thoughts. 💭

In cognitive behavior therapy (CBT) language, walking can be construed as a form of activity scheduling-slash-behavioral activation.

CBT argues that thoughts change how we feel—and that behavior can precede motivation.

We can schedule an activity aligned with our values and nudge ourselves into the activity—to check if it will have any effect on how we feel.

This is especially true for those who may feel stuck because of low mood or anxiety—where the heaviness of the feeling has been preventing them from doing anything meaningful at all. Walking, then, is a good place to start: It gets you outdoors, it exposes you to sunlight, it moves your body, it allows your eyes to rest on distant objects, and provides real-life stimulation.

An experiment for the curious: Schedule a walk (activity scheduling), and rate how you feel on a scale of one to 10, before and after the walk. If your mood increases by at least one point, then congratulations: You have successfully done a piece of behavioral activation!

Further reading:

• Fenn K, Byrne M. The key principles of cognitive behavioural therapy. InnovAiT. 2013;6(9):579-585. doi:10.1177/1755738012471029
• Westbrook, D., Kennerley, H., & Kirk, J. (2011). An Introduction to Cognitive Behaviour Therapy: Skills and Applications.