‘Fake It Till You Make It’ Isn’t Just A Cliché. It’s Backed By Science.

The phrase “fake it ’til you make it” may sound like a cliché, but the idea has some value in the mental health field.

The expression is often used when describing the concept of behavioral activation – a useful tool for managing conditions such as depression and anxiety.But what exactly is this approach?How does it differ from the idea of “faking” confidence, competence or positive emotions to achieve results?

Below, mental health professionals will break down the meaning and implications of behavioral activation, as well as the best ways to apply this technique in everyday life.

What is behavioral activation?

Behavioral activation is a concept and intervention often used in cognitive-behavioral therapy that uses behavior to influence emotions, thoughts, and moods.In other words, therapists typically prescribe behaviors for their clients with the expectation that these behaviors will change or alleviate some of the painful emotions they may be experiencing, such as anxiety or depression.

A common symptom of depression is the inability to engage in behaviors that used to bring joy — even when those behaviors may have helped alleviate depressive symptoms.Examples include socializing, exercising, cooking delicious meals, self-pampering through bathing and skin care, trying new activities, and more.

Instead, people who feel sad or lonely may look for situations or fall into patterns that validate their loneliness and sadness.This can be seen as a self-fulfilling prophecy or vicious cycle.Behavioral activation asks you to consider another scenario — that is, by planning activities and rewards that once brought you joy, you are likely to experience the same good feelings upon completion.

How does it work?

Our mental health and emotional state is tied to our behaviors.Deciding to lie in bed versus taking a morning walk releases very different chemicals in our brains, creates very different thoughts in our minds, and then reinforces or disrupts our emotional state.

Engaging in behaviors that promote a healthy mental state can have a positive ripple effect, which in turn encourages you to continue engaging in those activities.This concept is at the root of the popularization of self-care.

Behavioral activation therapy helps reduce symptoms of depression and anxiety by activating the reward system and has been shown to be very effective.For example, replacing avoidance behaviors (such as staying home) with more rewarding behaviors (such as taking a walk with a friend) can increase a person’s motivation to continue that positive behavior.

Initially, these actions can be daunting and require a lot of effort.But if you make up your mind to try them, you will activate positive reinforcement systems.

When you put your feet up, you start walking.Just like working out, you may not be in the mood at first, but after the workout you will feel great and be glad you did it.

Another way that behavioral activation can improve mental health is by helping people learn more about which activities elicit positive emotions and which ones have the opposite effect.People who use this approach may also realize that they have the ability to experience pleasure and remember that feeling.

Is that the same as “fake it till you make it”?

This technique is usually accompanied by the idea of ‘faking it until you make it’ because at that point in time, you may not want to do the things that are part of behavioral activation, such as going for a walk or planning a nice meal with a friend.This technique requires that you don’t think too hard about whether you really want to do something — i.e., pretend — but instead focus on accomplishing the task itself.

In a sense, behavioral activation is like pretending you feel better.In adopting this positive behavior, you may develop some positive feelings that lead to “rising positivity”.

But some experts say there are significant differences between them.

There is a tendency to ‘fake it till you make it’ because the behaviors you activate don’t necessarily match your current emotional state or sense of self.

Following the pure “fake it ’til you make it” approach, even if you’re a beginner, you’ll pretend to be a runner until you finally get good at it.

Means and ends differ in behavioral activation.It’s more like, I’m going to start running, even though it’s the last thing I want to do because it will improve my emotional state.

In addition, if you think that behavioral activation is “faking” your motivation to do an activity, it may influence your intentions and make the technique less likely to work.

“Pretending” implies forced action, lack of authenticity, connection and cynicism about experience.Viewing it as a route or pathway to improvement, self-improvement, healing, overcoming anxiety and fear, and self-actualization creates a more positive and enjoyable process and experience – which helps to overcome maladaptive patterns.

A better way to think about behavioral activation mechanisms is the idea that “energy begets energy”.

When a person suffers from depression, their brain can feel like it’s in a fog, or everything feels ‘dull’ or sluggish, which can lead to reduced activity.This decrease in activity can actually lead to lower energy and lower motivation.However, when a person decides to do an activity that requires energy (even if they don’t enjoy it), this actually produces more energy in the body, which increases motivation and mood.

How to realize it?

Behavioral activation can take many forms, but here are some general steps for using this technique.

1.Monitor your behavior and feelings.

The first step in behavioral activation is active monitoring.It is vital to fully understand our daily activities and how they affect our emotions.

You can keep a journal or download an app to record what you are doing and how you are feeling.As you record your behaviors and the emotions they evoke, make a list of behaviors that make you feel good and commit to implementing them in your daily life.

If you’re not sure which behaviors to focus on, it’s helpful to consider your values.Your values are most important to you and can guide the way you live or the way you want to live.You can ask yourself, “What would my life look like if I had no barriers?””What is most important to me?””Who do I look up to?What qualities do they contain?”

Once you’ve identified which activities improve your mood and give you a sense of purpose, then challenge yourself to do them more often, even if you can’t always find the motivation.

You get tired of things that make you anxious, upset and uncomfortable.The more you do it, the less daunting and threatening that activity becomes.The less threatening an activity is, the less power there is for cognitive distortion and maladaptive thoughts.

2.Set achievable goals for positive behavior.

Set achievable goals, focus on one or two behaviors at a time and practice them regularly.

For example, someone who has trouble getting out of bed could commit to putting on an outfit that makes them feel good every morning, even if they don’t go out anywhere, or commit to setting their alarm clock to play their favorite music to motivate them to get out of bed.The goal here is to create something that lifts and improves your mood, reduces your feelings of fear and sadness and limits potential stress.

Eventually, you can take on bigger activities, such as organizing social gatherings or working on major projects at work.

3.Minimize bad behavior.

As you identify and implement behaviors that positively impact your mood, you should also be mindful of which behaviors do not bring you pleasure or satisfaction.

Reduce behaviors that make you feel bad.For example, someone may choose to limit the amount of time they spend on social media and replace it with one-on-one interactions with friends.By getting rid of unnecessary and unhelpful behaviors, you can improve your self-esteem and confidence.

4.Don’t confuse behavioral activation with busyness.

Behavioral activation is sometimes misinterpreted as busyness as a way to combat depression.Being busy for the sake of being busy isn’t motivating — in fact, it can lead to burnout.

Some activities that can help combat mental health symptoms include keeping busy — such as learning a new skill.But other beneficial activities can be slow and relaxing, such as spending time outdoors or drinking coffee while listening to music.

5.Use the technique in conjunction with other coping strategies.

Keep in mind that behavioral activation is just one of the many tools of cognitive behavioral therapy.It may not work for everyone, and that’s okay.

While some people may respond well to behavioral change, others may need multiple therapies to be helpful.When behavioral activation by itself fails to alleviate a patient’s symptoms, a mental health professional may be able to work with the medical team to treat the condition more fully.