From The Depression Workbook – a Guide for Living With Depression and Manic Depression
Many people find that planning and scheduling help them feel better. You may have so many ideas that it is hard to get anything done, especially those things that help you feel better. Creating a schedule can help you do the things you know will help you feel the best you can.
Time | Planned Activity | Actual Activity | How It Felt |
7 – 8 a.m. | Get up, shower, dress, walk the dog | (as planned) | fine |
8 – 9 a.m. | Cook, eat breakfast, wash dishes | also cleaned bathroom | kind of speedy |
9 – 10 a.m. | meditate for 1/2 hour, go to post off. | (as planned) | fine |
10 – 11 a.m. | Peer Counseling with Sue | (as planned) | she is very understanding |
11 – 12 p.m. | clean hall closet | (as planned) | food to get organized |
12 – 1 p.m. | eat grinder in the park | (as planned) | played on swing |
1 – 2 p.m. | relax then read for 1/2 hour | (as planned) | hard to relax but it helps |
2 – 3 p.m. | write a list and shop for groceries | (as planned) | hard to stick with list, bought extra |
3 – 4 p.m. | put away groceries, clean kitchen | also swept porch, sidewalk | cycling up this time of day |
4 – 5 p.m. | counseling appointment | (as planned) | hard to sit still |
5 – 6 p.m. | fix stir-fry & rice dinner, eat dinner | also watched PBS news | ate too fast, want to slow down |
Develop a sample plan for a day when you might have noticed early warning signs.
| Time | Planned Activity | Actual Activity | How it Felt |
| 7 – 8 a.m. | |||
| 8 – 9 a.m. | |||
| 9 – 10 a.m. | |||
| 10 – 11 a.m. | |||
| 11 – 12 a.m. | |||
| 12 – 1 p.m. | |||
| 1 – 2 p.m. | |||
| 2 – 3 p.m. | |||
| 3- 4 p.m. | |||
| 4 – 5 p.m. | |||
| 5 – 6 p.m. | |||
| 6 – 7 p.m. |
Mary Ellen Copeland, PhD, developed Wellness Recovery Action Plan (WRAP) with a group of people with lived experience who were attending a mental health recovery workshop in 1997. She is the original author of the WRAP Red Book, as well as dozens of other WRAP books and materials. She has dedicated the last 30 years of her life to learning from people who have mental health issues; discovering the simple, safe, non-invasive ways they get well, stay well, and move forward in their lives; and then sharing what she has learned with others through keynote addresses, trainings, and the development of books, curriculums, and other resources. Now that she is retired, and that, as she intended, others are continuing to share what she has learned, she continues to learn from those who have mental health issues and those who support them. She is a frequent contributor to this site.
