Coaching practices for Evaluate Solutions Depression

Describe almost anything you are working through and IX Coach finds the practices whose real-world fit is closest. For Evaluate Solutions Depression, these are the strongest matches in the current practice library.

Does this sound like the set of challenges you might be facing?

  • I’ve got a few options on the table but I keep drifting toward whichever one scares me least instead of whichever would actually fix things
  • I’ve got maybe two ideas for what to do about this and both feel hopeless, so I shoot every other thought down before I even finish it
  • The second a problem lands my gut reaction is "of course, this is just me, I can’t handle anything"
  • Things that used to be nothing
  • I finally tried something and it only half-worked, and my whole brain went "see, nothing I do ever works"

Practices that may help

  1. Evaluate solutions against costs, benefits, and fit
    Rate each solution on likelihood of success, personal costs, and fit with your values.
    Problem-Solving Therapy, Made Practical
  2. Generate solutions without premature evaluation
    List as many potential solutions as possible before judging any of them.
    Problem-Solving Therapy, Made Practical
  3. Build a positive problem orientation
    Treat problems as normal, solvable challenges rather than signs of personal failure.
    Problem-Solving Therapy, Made Practical
  4. Grade activity difficulty upward gradually
    Start with the easiest feasible pleasant activity and increase demands only after success.
    Pleasant Events Scheduling, Made Practical
  5. Problem-Solving Therapy, Made Practical
    Problem-Solving Therapy (PST), developed by Nezu and D’Zurilla, treats depression and anxiety by building structured, step-by-step problem-solving skills — targeting the learned helplessness and avoidance that occur when people face stressful life problems without an effective coping framework. Multiple randomised trials support PST for depression, especially when linked to real-life problem load.
  6. Evaluate the outcome and adjust
    After implementing, honestly assess what worked, what didn’t, and what to do next.
    Problem-Solving Therapy, Made Practical
  7. Track mood alongside activity
    Record mood ratings before and after activities to identify what genuinely lifts versus drains you.
    Pleasant Events Scheduling, Made Practical
  8. Implement the chosen solution with a concrete plan
    Translate the chosen solution into specific actions, times, and checkpoints.
    Problem-Solving Therapy, Made Practical
  9. Behavioral experiments: test depressive predictions with action
    Make a specific prediction ("going out will feel terrible") and test it with the actual behavior.
    Behavioral Activation: Acting Your Way Out of Low Mood
  10. Shift from abstract "why" to concrete "how"
    Replace "why am I like this?" with "how can I do the next small thing?"
    Rumination-Focused CBT, Made Practical

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