Coaching practices for If Then Plan for Depression

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

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

• I can feel myself starting to slide
• My plans hold up fine until something throws them off
• Things that used to be nothing
• Before anything I already know exactly how it’ll go
• I make perfectly sensible plans but they sit there feeling optional, with no real fire behind them

Practices that may help

1. Action plans for low mood: if-then plans for the early warning signs
   Build a specific "if mood dips to X, I will do Y" plan before mood declines so it is ready when needed.
   Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy (MBCT), Made Practical
2. If–Then Planning, Made Practical
   If–then plans (also called implementation intentions) specify in advance how you will respond to the specific situations that typically derail your goals: "If situation X occurs, then I will do Y." A meta-analysis of 94 studies found a medium-to-large effect on goal attainment — one of the most reliable single techniques in goal-setting research.
3. Plan for obstacles with coping plans
   Anticipate the specific obstacles most likely to block your plan and pre-decide your response to each.
   Action Planning
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. 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
6. Combine mental contrasting with an if–then plan (MCII)
   Fantasize about success, then vividly imagine the key obstacle, then write the if–then — the sequence matters.
   If–Then Planning, 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. Identify and interrupt avoidance and withdrawal patterns
   Notice when you are avoiding or withdrawing and treat it as the maintenance mechanism, not self-care.
   Behavioral Activation: Acting Your Way Out of Low Mood
9. Write an if–then plan for your biggest obstacle
   "If [obstacle occurs], then I will [specific response]" — pre-deciding removes the obstacle’s power.
   If–Then Planning, Made Practical
10. Activity scheduling: plan valued activities before you feel like it
    Schedule specific activities in your calendar based on your values, not on your motivation level.
    Behavioral Activation: Acting Your Way Out of Low Mood

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