Monday blues are real; anyone who says the opposite is lying or is a dog-sitter by profession! It is okay to cut yourself some slack now and then, but what if you experience a motivation problem and low energy to get through even the most basic tasks of the day? What if you feel like snuggling up in bed, staying under the duvet, and missing work almost every other day? Sounds relatable? The last thing you need to hear is didactic advice, and don’t worry, we understand the rubrics of such a predicament.
We would love to offer a gentle touch of care, empathy, and a virtual hug with ten tips to get out of the rut you are currently experiencing. After all, we want to see you come back stronger than ever. Before you get on the healing journey with us, make yourself a cup of hot chocolate, find a comfortable spot to sit, light your preferred scented candle, and add some lo-fi music!
What Causes These Feelings?
To solve an issue, it is essential to get to the root cause of it, and beating a lack of motivation is no different. As you take a deep breath, try to pinpoint the list of reasons behind why you might be feeling so. Is it the lack of job satisfaction, an unsupportive partner, or the lack of long-term goals? Are you overwhelmed with daily tasks, never-ending to-do lists, Zoom calls, or have mental health issues such as depression?
Remember your ninth-grade physics teacher enlisting Newton’s three Laws of Motion?! Are you wondering why we are mentioning this here? Well, the first law says that a body at rest stays at rest while a body in motion stays in motion. This applies here as well. Maybe those unpaid bills piling up at the dinner table seem so challenging to take care of that you lose the will even to try. So you prefer to stay in bed and maybe take a break from reality. Have you ever noticed that even after a day of little productive activity spent inside on the couch doing nothing still tires you out by the end of the day? This is because you maintain your state of rest, and ultimately the lack of activity drains the will and energy to get your limbs up and about.
On the contrary, after a day full of meetings, appointments, and scheduled tasks, you might still have the energy to complete the remaining ten percent of the tasks on your to-do lists! Amazing right? This is because you maintain a state of motion, and the body becomes accustomed to it.
Suppose a lack of passion or empowering long-term goals has been draining your soul of vital life force. In that case, the best way is to sit back, open that journal lying in the corner of your bookshelf, have a long hard look at that bucket list you laid out for yourself three years ago, and reschedule timelines. Give yourself a purpose: push out the fog and let the sun warm your cold and frayed edges (literally and metaphorically speaking).
If you have constantly been battling low mood for months, you should contact a qualified mental health specialist for professional help. Do this at the earliest opportunity to get what you deserve. Remember, you were born to shine and not watch from the sidelines, my friend!
1. Focus on One Task at a Time
As a child, even though you wanted to run away with the whole chocolate cake and eat it in one go, it wasn’t possible to do so. You had to cut it into pieces and work your way through the cake. Adulting is not much different.
You’ve got to break down humongous tasks into small doable chunks that you can easily do justice to instead of battling an imminent sense of dread every time you look at that huge Excel sheet with burgeoning tasks in yellow and a small portion in green. Prioritize tasks in different categories such as brushing your teeth, your morning rigmarole, taking a shower, and changing into a fresh pair of pajamas. If you feel that’s enough for the day and you have little to no energy left for other important tasks, that’s completely okay! Being kind towards yourself is the first step and will take you a long way.
2. Take Credit for Your Wins, No Matter How Small
Did you write that page in your journal chronicling your life goals? Yeah! Pat your back, amigo! You are doing good! You reverted to your mom on Skype after a week; awesome! You should treat yourself to that extra plate of fries.
We cannot overemphasize the importance of celebrating small wins, no matter how insignificant they may seem to the external world. Even if you get up from bed after snoozing your alarm for the fifth time in a row and treat yourself to a session of ten minutes of basic yoga, you have achieved a new goal. And that is worth every treat. So you do you, and good things will come your way! Set your own goals and achieve them at your own pace because it’s how you feel from within about yourself that matters.
3. Set Aside Time for Self Care
Making time for self-care is something you should never overlook. It is a great way to protect your energy, aura, and emotional and physical well-being. Even if you have dependent family members or pressing social engagements, the world will not come crashing down if you draw healthy boundaries and set aside an hour or two every day for recharging, rejuvenating, and treating yourself to nothing but the best in whatever you desire. Your loved ones will understand and respect your need for “me-time” and self-care.
The definition of self-care varies from person to person and has fluid interpretations. A self-care routine that a random blogger swears by on the internet might not suit your needs. You are free to construct a customized routine that soothes your soul, brings joy to your heart, energy in your body, and joie de vivre in your life! If you crave a mint-almond gelato from Giani’s, buy yourself a scoop. If you love fresh flowers, pick out a red rose for yourself and place it lovingly on your workstation. And when it begins to wilt, place it within the folds of your journal as a mark of your love and respect for your beautiful self.
4. Don’t Be Afraid to Ask for Help
Asking for help and acknowledging the frailty of the human sense of self is not a sign of cowardice. On the contrary, it contributes to your personal development as it requires immense courage to go against years of social conditioning. Having a stiff upper lip never helped anyone, and it’s absolutely acceptable and entirely okay to seek genuine guidance from those qualified to do so. Young mothers battling postpartum depression, newly married couples facing adjustment issues, and even staying away from home for the first time can shake up a person’s very core, and it’s human to break down at times and let someone hold your hand in reality or virtually and gently help you get back on your feet.
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5. Reward Yourself
Do you remember how gleefully you showed off that red star on your little fist that your grade one teacher drew on your hand for resisting the urge to punch your seat partner the whole day? Similarly, activate the reward center in your brain every time you fight the urge to beat the pulp out of your boss whenever they set unrealistic deadlines or make you clock in extra hours on a Friday evening. Maybe, having your favorite pizza from Dominos and an extra large chilled bottle of Coke on that day will help.
After achieving even fifty percent of the tasks on your to-do list, get up and groove to your favorite beats. After all, what are those incredible speakers for? Blast the ceiling up, but stay empathetic towards children and senior citizens in the neighborhood. Jump a little harder on the floor, we would say!
6. Write a To-Do List
Call us old-fashioned or a sucker for cute stationery supplies. Still, nothing compares with the joys of finally checking off tasks on your to-do lists in your journal with your unicorn-topped pen as opposed to the “flat” motion of erasing them by repeatedly pressing the “backspace” key on a laptop.
Whatever way you like, whether you are a tech-savvy person or otherwise, it is one hundred percent recommended to curate a to-do list the night before you sleep. When your energy supply is depleted, it makes sense to prioritize the top three tasks for the coming day and devote your energy and focus wholly and solely on accomplishing those. By the end of the day, if you achieve even slightly more than half of what was on your plate, you will feel an inner sense of peace and a renewed energy to accomplish more in the coming days.
7. Stay in Tune With Your Feelings
Brushing things under the carpet, both literally and figuratively, is not an effective method of coping with low motivation levels in the long run. Instead, acknowledge, identify and respect your emotions, whatever they may be. You might be experiencing many emotions ranging from rage, grief, a sense of loss, a lack of warmth, love, and general ennui currently in life.
Low energy levels, less motivation, and lower tolerance may pan out in a short fuse. You may experience frequent anger outbursts or a general sense of discontentment at minor upsets in daily life. Take time to make space for these emotions, and pause before acting on impulse. This may seem not easy to put into practice at the moment, but truth be told, it is the only way forward. Choose to conserve your energy by acting thoughtfully instead of reacting impulsively in less-than-favorable life situations.
8. Don’t Overthink It
Sitting in a rocking chair and swinging back and forth may seem therapeutic for a while, but it won’t get you anywhere. Similarly, investing precious energy in thoughts that self-sabotage rather than build you up might send you back to square one instead of moving forward in the journey of compassionate healing. Of course, this one is also tough to execute in reality and may give you a hard time. But let’s try together to rewire our subconscious brain, shall we? Cheers!
9. Make Sure You Rest
Our core bears the brunt when we over-exert ourselves in work scenarios or when we try to revive toxic relationships. If you are on the brink of burnout or are already experiencing signs of it, sign off from receiving notifications, put on that gel-based eye mask, turn your phone on airplane mode and catch that well-deserved sleep.
The world can wait; your health cannot. Period. Self-discipline is an important thing. So, get into bed by 9:30 pm maximum and wake up with the sunrise. This may seem like an age-old adage repeated for the nth time, but honestly, it works wonders. Humans are not built to work 20-23 hours a day sitting in front of a screen or whatever you do for a living. Protect and build upon your energy reserves like jewelry collectors protect their diamonds. You are worth it! This will also prevent health issues like cardiovascular diseases and a weakened immune system and lower the risk of depression and anxiety.
10. Surround Yourself With Positive People
“Birds of the same feather flock together.” Pardon our attempts at resorting to idiomatic and phrasal English, but old is gold! How can you expect to flourish in such a company if you surround yourself with people who vibe at a low-energy level, have no well-defined goals, have negative thoughts, and have a day-to-day mindset? With them, you might survive, but to grow, you need to change your surroundings. If the flower doesn’t bloom in a particular soil, you change the pot containing a different kind of nutritious soil and don’t blame the seed, do you?
Learn How to Motivate Yourself With Docvita’s Counsellors
As mentioned previously, there is absolutely no shame in asking for help and guidance or maybe just finding an accountability partner to help you get a better sense of motivation. Guess what? Your search for the perfect and most prolific, well-qualified, and experienced mental health care professionals ends at the virtual door of DocVita. Here, compassionate, amiable, and trusted mental health buddies will help you achieve unparalleled motivation levels.
All you have to do is visit our page and book your first session today!