How do I motivate myself?

Post Reply New Topic

I can't get myself to do anything. This used to be okay but now I'm an adult with real responsibilities and I don't want to do anything, especially during winter. What do I do?

You need to have a reason WHY you want/need to do things, then doing things becomes easy because you're working towards a bigger goal.

_________________
No for supporting trump. Because doing so is deplorable.

Since you say "especially during winter," I have to wonder if maybe your lack of motivation is linked to depression, like say maybe Seasonal Affective Disorder for instance.

If it really is lack of motivation, I kind of do what my parents did for me when I was growing up- I promise myself a reward after I accomplish a particular task. The less I want to do something and the more I need to do it, the bigger the reward.

Example:
Problem: I have to make a cold call to schedule something with the doctor or dentist, or make an insurance claim.
Reward: I'll promise myself a nice cup of cocoa for making the call.

Problem: I have to go to a party for work or because a friend insisted I be at their wedding.
Reward: I'll promise myself a bunch of episodes of a favorite show while wearing lots of fleece and lay there with a dog in my lap.

Are you going to college/university? I would think that would be motivation enough.

Sorry if you're going through depression.

Start taking a vitamin D supplement if you don't already. If it's truly seasonal depression, it could be due to lack of sun exposure causing low vitamin D production. Vitamin D is really inexpensive, like $5 for 100 pills. I've heard 1000iu/day minimum is recommended. I could be wrong, but I don't think there's any possible harm in taking 1000iu/day of vitamin D if you don't happen to need it.

_________________
No for supporting trump. Because doing so is deplorable.

I always want to hibernate in winter. I don't feel particularly depressed, I just feel lazy. It's much the same all year round, only not so intensely felt. I really don't like myself for it.

I'm sure I'd benefit from better self-motivation. Much of the trouble I have seems to come from the fact that I really don't have to do much at all. There are lots of things I could do, but unless they particularly fire my imagination, I find it difficult to do them. And it's hard for me to get excited about routine tasks.

One thing I've noticed is that making a start is very often the only difficult thing, and once I've done that, momentum carries me through, in fact it can be difficult for me to stop. So if I'm contemplating a task and feel reluctant to do it, I sometimes work out what the first "bite-sized" step might be, and that usually seems easier to do, so I tend to do it and then the ball is rolling.

This is a real issue for me and also for my brother.
I certainly suffer from depression so that's a factor, but I am chronically unmotivated. I just can't summon the 'care factor'.
Although, I was thinking the other day that in some ways I'm extremely motivated.
For instance, since childhood I've been (unconsciously) very motivated to appear 'normal'.
In this case my motivation is mostly shame and fear of being unacceptable / different. It's taken so much energy I now have chronic fatigue. (Maybe that's all my motivation used up )
My brother did not have this motivation and I often look at him and think "that's me without my fake, socially acceptable persona". He is extremely unmotivated - to work, to socialise, to be what my parents / society want him to be.

I asked Michelle Garnet (Tony Attwood's right hand woman) about this and she said it's definitely to do with Autism, and of course depression too. The Pre-frontal Cortex might have been mentioned.

Thanks for reading,
Zel.