Staying well

You’ve learned some powerful techniques to break the vicious cycle of depression. Now that you’re at the end of the course, we hope that you have started to feel better.

In this session, we’re going to make a ‘staying well plan’. A staying well plan is a document created by you to help identify what made you ill so that you can avoid becoming unwell in the future.

This is our last session but you can keep coming back to the course as much as you want to refresh your skills.

Session eight: staying well

Grab a piece of paper. You’re going to write a few headings and then it’s up to you to fill in the blanks. It might be helpful to ask a friend to help you if you get stuck.

Your Staying Well Plan

What made me unwell

In this section, try to write down the main things that led to you becoming unwell.

What kept me feeling unwell

In this section, it’s time to think about any unhelpful behaviours or thoughts that were keeping you depressed.

What helped me feel better

Try to think of the main things that helped you recover from depression.

My early warning signs

In this section, try to think about the subtle changes that people might notice if you started to become unwell again. It’s a good idea to let friends know these so that they can keep an eye out for you.

My relapse plan

This part is really important. Make a specific plan that you must follow when you start to notice the early warning signs. You might include things like telling your friends, going to see your doctor or even coming back to this course to refresh your CBT skills. You could even write down the things that your friends and family could do to help you if you relapse.

You’ve done it!

Congratulations - you’ve got to the end of the course and have learned the skills needed to break the vicious cycle of depression.

We really hope that you found the course useful. If you have any suggestions for improvements, we’d love to hear from you.

Thank you for staying with us right to the end.

Important: this self-help website is provided as a support tool to be used alongside professional help. The website is not intended to provide medical advice of any sort and you must see a doctor if you think you may have a mental illness.