Act as if ...

Action erodes depression.

We are judged by our actions, not on our feelings or temptations.

To make progress in the spiritual life, we often have to act against our feelings (Latin: agere contra).

C. S. Lewis, Mere Christianity.

Do not waste your time bothering whether you ‘love’ your neighbor. Act as if you did. As soon as we do this, we find one of the great secrets. When you are behaving as if you loved someone, you will presently come to love him. If you inquire about someone you dislike, you will find yourself disliking him more. If you do him a good turn, you will find yourself disliking him less.

AA, 4th edition, p. 366

[My sponsor] suggested that for me a good starting point would simply be recognition of the fact that I had failed in running the world — in short, acceptance of the fact that I was not God. He also suggested that I might try occasionally to act as if I believed. Somewhere I had heard that it is easier to act yourself into a new way of thinking than to think yourself into a new way of acting, and this made sense in the context of “acting as if.”

Ignatian spirituality recommends "acting against" self-destructive inclinations:

Agere contra [...] means “to act against,” and refers to acting against behaviors that are not life-giving and hold us back from freedom. Edmund Lo, SJ, writes about agere contra:

We can be attached to patterns of behaviour that seemingly make us feel safer, be they our insecurities, doubts, or unwillingness to be pulled out of our comfort zones. They prevent us from living our lives fully in the way the Lord intends. When we live our lives in Spirit and in Truth, we live in a true freedom. Agere contra helps us to confront those things that hold us back from such freedom; better yet, it helps us to grow into this freedom.

Take contrary action

- "Take Contrary Action and Discover an Extraordinary Life in Sobriety: Avoid Mediocrity and Live the Life You’ve Always Wanted — Without Alcohol"

Contrary Action, in recovery terms, means taking positive action rather than resorting to habitual, self-destructive behaviors. It is the way to break patterns that keep recovering people stuck and discontent (i.e., living in the low-quality zone).

Contrary Action for those suffering from alcoholism, then, is abstinence. We don’t drink, which is the beginning of affirming ourselves in a positive way. We brighten with abstinence — and when we are active in our own recovery. But, at some point, drinking is not the issue anymore.