Let’s face it, sometimes (or more often) we all feel so incredibly unmotivated. It usually starts in the early morning, immediately after you wake up. As soon as you are able to open your eyes (it’s not always that simple) you just know how this day will go… Well, it certainly won’t be a surprise for anyone… What’s even more frustrating is that it definitely won’t be an easy journey. Don’t get me wrong, I really don’t want to scare you but in these kinds of mornings every second count. Which means, that if you don’t do something quick and spectacular this particular day will soon belong to an infamous category of “different types of waste”. Yes, this is a kind of an imaginary box where you can put every shitty, unnecessary, useless and irrelevant thing… and the best part is that this box is bottomless! How convenient is that?! Can you imagine it? Pretty convenient I guess!
I don’t know about you, but I’ve created this special category for myself a long time ago and I don’t regret it. Furthermore, I personally believe that it’s a must in if you want to avoid disappointment and frustration which can easily lead to self-hatred and guilt resulting from this strong and unpleasant feeling that you have accomplished nothing… or for more optimistic people - “barely anything.”
Anyway, coming back to our topic, waking up feeling extremely unmotivated really sucks. Let’s stop pretending that it’s not a big deal because the struggle is real. But the real question is: “Is it possible to predict the course of events and alter them?” My answer is: “Yes” Honestly, I believe that sometimes it’s quite possible and feasible. How can you do it? Well, it can vary from person to person BUT maybe there are some universal rules that can be applied in such cases. And let’s be honest, you really want to see what happens if you don’t give up!! Trust me. I’ve been there many times. The first thing you need to realize is that there is not such a thing like no-go situation. At least, I really don’t believe it.
Find Your Motivation
Indeed, talking about finding a motivation when you feel a little bit depressed it’s not easy BUT as I mentioned before there are some universal rules you can follow and maybe they will also work for you. However, in order to describe these golden rules, we are talking about, I have to describe what happened in the morning.
So, let’s begin… shall we? That’s my today’s morning story:
I’ve woke up today feeling like cr*p and doing nothing for the entire day seemed to be the best option. But, at the same time, I knew that if I follow the temptation of Italian dolce far niente I would regret it the evening… and the next day and the day after that. It’s just how it works in my world… Am I being a little bit too dramatic? I don’t think so…
…and just to be clear let me just add that this was and still is my day off. So theoretically I could stay in bed all day long and just do nothing, watching Netflix and order some take out because sometimes even preparing a meal can be a real struggle. Yes, I am talking about those days when your whole body feels to do nothing, your arms are tired, your legs are weak and achy, you cannot keep your eyes open and even if you succeed the vision is so blurry that it only makes you feel dizzy.
So today is one of those days, I woke up already tired and SO incredibly unmotivated that even getting out of the bed seemed some kind of superhuman challenge. Then with the last ounce of strength, I tried desperately (and I succeeded!) to come out from under the covers, crawl to the kitchen and pour down cups of coffee… and we are talking here about getting at least a litre of hot caffeine straight into my system… Oh gosh, in such cases I would literally kill for caffeine drip… please tell me this is covered by the insurance… just give me a ray of hope. Anyone? No?
Then, shortly after my LONG black coffee with a dash of almond milk I checked myself in the mirror… and let me just say that if it was only a “bad hair day” I would be happy… But it was a lot more complicated than that… to mention a few reasons why I felt so uninspired, sluggish and just stuck in negative emotions:
- Bad hair day (just to get started)
- Bad weather day (stormy, windy are really freezing)
- I got off on the wrong foot
- The day after a really shitty day
- I dreamt the same nightmare again (really scary one)
- And yes I almost forgot about my depression was kicking my ass again…
All things considered, I asked myself:
Why the hell I should even try to get up of bed this morning?
Motivation Is Not Constant.
This is the exact moment when you have to get off your ass and find a motivation to survive this day without making it any worse, especially if you struggle with depression like me and you know exactly that staying a whole day in bed is a really bad idea. So, how we can proceed to manage this crisis? Well, I suggest to:
- Have a plan - start with your ideal morning routine - the healthy one and go through it point by point. Wake up and own your morning
- Schedule things that need to be done - Implement a functional strategy that will keep you going
- Fix the problem instead of constantly repeating the things that don’t work
- Learn the Art of Surrender - accept things that you cannot control and move on
- Find a constant source of motivation that will work for you (My source of motivation are Tedtalks, Podcasts, Motivation quotes or Mindful Meditation)
- Adopt a positive mindset - If you cannot change something change our attitude
- Develop the habit of achieving things and give yourself credit for every single accomplished task.
- Practice self-compassion and positive self-talk
- Work on your self-esteem - don’t beat yourself up if something doesn’t work as it should be
- Practice gratitude because every single minute of your life is a gift - that’s why it’s called “the present”
Remember you are the captain of your own ship! If you wake up feeling already tired, sluggish and incredibly unmotivated do NOT give up!! Use your source of motivation and make a change!
Take care
Stay positive
Be mindful
xx Kate
