Some days the only reason you went outside was the dog. Some days that’s what saved the day.

An obligation to something else gets you moving when nothing internal will. A dog that has to be walked does not care how you feel, so you end up outside, in daylight, in motion, on a day you would otherwise not have left the house. Being needed by something simple is its own kind of support.

Notice what already pulls you outside and keep it, whether that is an animal, a job, or somebody who waits for you. If you have none, make one: a person to meet, a route, a time. On the bad days, let the thing do the deciding rather than your mood.