Coaching practices for How to Handle Depression at Work

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

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

• Things that used to be nothing
• I’ve gone quiet on everyone
• The second a problem lands my gut reaction is "of course, this is just me, I can’t handle anything"
• I could list ten things that went wrong at work today without blinking but I’d struggle to name one that went right
• Looking back, every day just feels like it was uniformly awful from start to finish

Practices that may help

1. Grade activity difficulty upward gradually
   Start with the easiest feasible pleasant activity and increase demands only after success.
   Pleasant Events Scheduling, Made Practical
2. Schedule social contact as a priority activity
   Treat social interaction as a prescribed activity, not as something to do when you feel ready.
   Pleasant Events Scheduling, 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. Apply three good things to work contexts specifically
   Use the exercise to rewire what you notice about your work day — contribution, competence, and collaboration.
   Three Good Things: The Evidence-Based Gratitude Practice
5. Track mood alongside activity
   Record mood ratings before and after activities to identify what genuinely lifts versus drains you.
   Pleasant Events Scheduling, Made Practical
6. Aerobic exercise for low mood and depression
   Sustained moderate cardio — brisk walking, cycling, running — as a mood regulator.
   Exercise for Mental Health
7. Pleasant events scheduling
   Deliberately introduce small pleasures into daily life — not as luxuries, but as antidepressants.
   Behavioral Activation: Acting Your Way Out of Low Mood
8. Anchor activity to personal values
   Choose pleasant activities that also connect to what genuinely matters to you, not just what is easy.
   Pleasant Events Scheduling, Made Practical
9. 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
10. Manage emotional arousal before and during problem solving
    Use a brief calming strategy when emotions are too high to solve problems effectively.
    Problem-Solving Therapy, Made Practical

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