Low mood & motivation~10 minBehavioral activation
From TRAP to TRAC: getting unstuck
See how avoidance keeps low mood going — and choose an alternative way to cope.
Avoiding hard things brings quick relief but keeps low mood going. Behavioral activation therapists (Martell, Addis & Jacobson) call this a TRAP: Trigger, Response, Avoidance Pattern. Getting back on TRAC means choosing Alternative Coping instead.
1. T — Trigger: what happened
2. R — Response: how I felt
3. AP — Avoidance pattern: what I did to escape the feeling
Stayed in bed, canceled plans, scrolled for hours, didn't open the mail…
4. What avoiding gave me in the short term — and what it cost me in the long term
5. AC — Alternative coping: one small step I could take instead
6. When I'll try it
7. How it went