Wellness Activity Menu
Twenty-eight small things to try when energy is low, with space to plan each one and rate your mood before and after
Wellness Activity Menu
Twenty-eight small things to try when energy is low, with space to plan each one and rate your mood before and after
Wellness Activity Menu
Twenty-eight small things to try when energy is low, with space to plan each one and rate your mood before and after
When mood drops, the things that used to fill a day tend to slip away one at a time, and an empty day can make the low mood heavier. In Peter Lewinsohn's early studies of depression, the pleasant activities people logged each day tended to rise and fall with their mood that day (Lewinsohn & Graf, 1973).
Behavioral activation puts that link to work. Its clinician's guide describes doing things that bring pleasure, a sense of accomplishment, or a solved problem as a way to lift mood over time, and it asks people to follow a plan even on days when mood says stay put (Martell et al., 2022). The same guide stresses starting small.
This menu is raw material for that plan. The activities sit in seven groups, and each label starts with its group. Change any item to fit your body, budget and schedule: a walk can be a roll in a wheelchair, and a phone call can be a text. To sort your picks by how doable and meaningful they are, use the Mood-Boosting Activity Planner. To spread them across the morning, afternoon and evening, see Activity Scheduling for Mood Improvement.
- Read down the list and choose three to five activities that look doable this week. Pick at least one that would simply feel good and one that would leave something done, like a clean counter or a paid bill.
- Shrink each pick to its smallest version. If a 20-minute walk sounds like too much, the end of the block counts as a full success.
- Under When This Week, give each pick a day and a time. Then put it where you will see it: a paper calendar, a sticky note on the fridge, a phone reminder.
- When the time comes, do it whether you feel like it or not. On a heavy day, swap in a smaller item from the same group instead of skipping.
- Right before you start, rate your mood from 0 (lowest) to 10 (best) under Mood Before. Rate it again right after, under Mood After. After a week or two you will have your own record of which activities lift you and which ones don't.
- Add your own ideas in the blank rows at the end. Use the boxes at the bottom to choose where to start and to look back, and bring the sheet to your next session.
| Activity | When This Week | Mood Before (0 to 10) | Mood After (0 to 10) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Body: roll your shoulders and stretch your arms overhead | |||
| Body: move to one song, standing or in a chair | |||
| Body: walk or roll to the end of the block and back | |||
| Body: take a 20-minute walk with a podcast or a friend | |||
| People: send a two-line text to someone you miss | |||
| People: answer one message you've been putting off | |||
| People: invite someone for a walk or a cup of tea | |||
| People: go to a faith service, support group, club or class | |||
| Making: clear one small surface, like a nightstand | |||
| Making: open the mail and pay or file one thing | |||
| Making: doodle, color or sketch what's in front of you | |||
| Making: cook a simple meal from what's in the cupboard | |||
| Outdoors: open a window and listen for one minute | |||
| Outdoors: drink your coffee or tea on the step or balcony | |||
| Outdoors: water a plant or start herbs on a windowsill | |||
| Outdoors: spend an afternoon at a park, beach, lake or trail | |||
| Rest: sip a warm drink slowly with the screen off | |||
| Rest: read a few pages of a book, comic or magazine | |||
| Rest: take a shower or bath with music playing | |||
| Rest: put clean sheets on the bed | |||
| Learning: look up a question you've wondered about | |||
| Learning: do a crossword, sudoku or jigsaw puzzle | |||
| Learning: watch a how-to video and try the skill once | |||
| Learning: borrow a book or audiobook with a library card | |||
| Giving: thank a cashier or bus driver by name | |||
| Giving: send someone a song or photo that made you think of them | |||
| Giving: check on a neighbor or bring in their trash cans | |||
| Giving: cook a little extra and share it | |||
My top three to start with
What lifted my mood the most
What got in the way, and what I'll try instead
References
- Lewinsohn, P. M., & Graf, M. (1973). Pleasant activities and depression. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 41(2), 261-268. https://doi.org/10.1037/h0035142
- Martell, C. R., Dimidjian, S., & Herman-Dunn, R. (2022). Behavioral activation for depression: A clinician's guide (2nd ed.). The Guilford Press.
Related General Worksheets
View all General →Writing a Gratitude Letter
A guided exercise for expressing heartfelt appreciation to someone who matters to you
GeneralAuthoring Your Personal Narrative
A Three-Chapter Framework for Self-Understanding and Growth
GeneralBenefit-Finding Reflection Exercise
A positive psychology practice for cultivating optimism through everyday challenges
See also
Clinical guides that use this worksheet
Common Questions
What is the Wellness Activity Menu worksheet?
When mood drops, the things that used to fill a day tend to slip away one at a time, and an empty day can make the low mood heavier. In Peter Lewinsohn's early studies of depression, the pleasant activities people logged each day tended to rise and fall with their mood that day (Lewinsohn & Graf, 1973).
How do I use the Wellness Activity Menu worksheet?
Fill out this worksheet digitally or print it for use in session. You can save your progress with a Pro account. Take your time with each column — there are no right or wrong answers.
Is the Wellness Activity Menu worksheet free?
Yes. Like every worksheet on Therapy Resource, it is free to read, print, and download as a PDF, no account required. A Pro subscription adds online filling with saved progress, practice-branded PDF exports, and secure client sharing.
Can I fill out the Wellness Activity Menu worksheet online?
Yes. Switch the worksheet to "Type on Screen" mode to fill in the fields directly in your browser before printing. Pro members can also save their entries across sessions and export the completed worksheet as a branded PDF.
Use this worksheet professionally
Pro members can fill worksheets online, save progress, customize content, share with clients, and export branded PDFs.
Try Pro free for 7 days →