If you need urgent support, call 999 or go to your nearest A&E. To contact our Crisis Messenger (open 24/7) text THEMIX to 85258.
Read the community guidelines before posting ✨
Options
i have no motivation!
Former Member
Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
and need some!
i've got all my classic depression signs back, not getting out of bed til nearly mid day, not eating much and when i am eating i'm eating crap, not wanting to go out, i'm spending the majority of the day on the sofa just staring at the TV or at the walls. I have a hell of a lot of things i need to get done, (i won't list them but you get the point), and i have not got the motivation to do jack fucking shit. i just about managed to get washed dressed and off to the shrink today. I'm still pushing myself to go to college, but i'm hating it due to how shit my fellow cough*fuckers* students are towards me, and i'm feeling really crap, with constant migranes.
but i need to get myself out of this pit even just for a little bit, cos i really dont want to be here and it's not doing me any good....
how can i motivate myself a little ?
i've got all my classic depression signs back, not getting out of bed til nearly mid day, not eating much and when i am eating i'm eating crap, not wanting to go out, i'm spending the majority of the day on the sofa just staring at the TV or at the walls. I have a hell of a lot of things i need to get done, (i won't list them but you get the point), and i have not got the motivation to do jack fucking shit. i just about managed to get washed dressed and off to the shrink today. I'm still pushing myself to go to college, but i'm hating it due to how shit my fellow cough*fuckers* students are towards me, and i'm feeling really crap, with constant migranes.
but i need to get myself out of this pit even just for a little bit, cos i really dont want to be here and it's not doing me any good....
how can i motivate myself a little ?
0
Comments
I really don't know what to suggest other than just try really really hard just to do it...
Make a list of everything you want to do tomorrow, for example. Set your alarm early in the morning to break the bad sleeping pattern.... But put your alarm across your room so you don't roll back over to sleep or turn it off in your sleep, like I used to. Once your up have a shower straight away. For some reason when I had no motivation I had a real problem just getting washed and dressed, but if I did I'd feel a bit more normal... and actually I think my break through from these feelings was just getting myself up earlier and washed and dressed day in day out instead of slobbing occassionally.
Make sure you eat something healthy for breakfast to kick start you... If you're too bad at deciding what to eat in the mornings have it ready the night before; or a bowl or plate out to prompt you to actually make yourself a decent breakfast.
And don't sit down. Don't let yourself have a break from getting up until you've done at least two things on your list.
And if possible wrap up and have a quick 20 minute walk. That's another thing that helped me get over the demotivation. I couldn't always manage it every day so I made it a rule to have at least 3 walks a week... I think it helped.
Might be best if you have the walk straight after breakfast cos you're not so likely to get used to slouching around indoors. (Or even have it before breakfast if you don't think you'd faint or anything without food). Just up and go.
- Also, no idea if you're a tea/coffee drinker. But I gave up drinking tea around the time I started going for short walks and getting myself up and dressed early... I really think it made me have more energy being free from the caffine. I didn't need to get a caffine fix in the morning to feel awake anymore and stopped having panic attacks that I was getting and just generally felt better... Plus was just another little thing I was taking control of, which felt good.
If you get the type of depression which makes you sleepy all the time and you start getting up early... try getting through the day without falling asleep before bed, but if you really need some shut eye, go to bed and set your alarm for 30 minutes. Can help you feel more energized if you have a quick cat-nap; but don't just go to sleep until you wake up again cos that'll make you feel more sluggish.
Have no idea if any of these things will help you; but just giving you some ideas cos they worked for me. There really isn't any way to get motivated than to force yourself to be a little bit motivated I don't think, unfortunatly.
But good luck.
(And maybe take some vitamin suppliments, you might not be getting enough vitamin D cos of it being winter).
So just keep reminding yourself that you're doing a good job. If you find yourself telling yourself off in your head or putting yourself down, have a little counter-act mantra going - 'I'm not lazy and I'm doing really well'.... I know it sounds corny but positive thinking really is very very very helpful in getting over depression or generally feeling low...
I was terrible at putting myself down and coming up with alsorts of ideas of what other people must think of me in a bad way... even though no one ever turned around and said these bad things to me... they were completly my own fabrication, and once I managed to counter-act the thoughts with nice ones (which I have to admit wasn't easy, but worked eventually), I did feel a lot lot better and began to realise I wasn't the useless person I'd been telling myself I was.
Sorry to hear you’re feeling a down at the moment and having trouble motivating yourself.
Lu C has given you some really good tips to get yourself back on track and start getting motivated again. If you’re determined to get things moving you should probably look at why you’ve lost momentum in the first place. Has something happened recently that might have de-motivated you? If there has been then try and resolve these problems and look to moving on from them.
Like Lu C said, try and set yourself a work schedule and give yourself specific times and deadlines to work to. Reward yourself once you’ve met these deadlines. Exercise and a balanced diet might also make you feel a bit more active and help you to get on with your workload.
It’s very easy to fall out of routines when you’re at college because your left to work on your own, but it’s important to make your own schedules or else you can easily fall behind. The best advice I was ever given as a student is don’t think about doing something, just do it. Once you start doing something you realise that it’s not too bad, and you might even enjoy it.
Have a look at our articles on study motivation and depression if you want any more information to help you out.
Hope this helps :thumb:
i can get myself to appointments, and i can still get myself into college, but once i've shut the front door of my flat i might as well not exist. I haven't been and bought a proper lot of shopping in over a month. i can't bring myself to clean the place (though the bath room seems to be constantly clean due to the wonders of bath spray and bleach), and i just want to sit down and cry. i'm having such a shit time at college (where i currently happen to be) and i'm not getting much help. i really feel like screaming sometimes cos it feels like no one really cares.
It's really tough sometimes; and sometimes you do need to just have a good cry. There's nothing wrong with letting go behind closed doors, but don't lock yourself away from everyone too much. Is there anyone at all who you could invite over and explain how you're feeling... maybe even someone who could help you tidy up a bit or give a bit of moral support by going with you to the shops or something? Sometimes it's in the darker moments of life that you find the little gems out there... the people that are willing to give you a hand. Don't be scared to ask someone.