Ways I Stay Motivated.
Even after all of these years of managing depression, I still have those days where I have little to no motivation to do anything. Living with depression means that managing my mental heath is an ongoing thing for me. Just when I think I've got it all figured out, and allow myself to get a little lazy...boom. Next thing I know, I'm in the middle of a full-blown depressive episode. It is so important that when you are at a real low, to find some kind of way to keep getting things done. Anything. Even if it's just the little things. When I'm functioning at my best self I can get up and work nonstop, but there are other days where it so hard managing to get the basic shit done. To help keep my focus up, here are some ways I stay motivated so my end goal never vanishes away from me.
PRIORITIZE
If you are feeling depressed with no motivation to complete any tasks, it's important that you start working on the most important things first. When I feel unmotivated, it's very easy to procrastinate by doing other tasks that aren't as crucial. Depression makes doing everyday things difficult, and that means any energy you have is precious. You want to make sure that you are using your limited energy to get the most important things done. A good idea is to pick three of the most important tasks you have for the day, or even the week, and focus on those three. Having a ton of shit to do and very little energy creates the perfect recipe for a disaster. Stay focused on getting a couple of your key tasks done and forget about the rest of your list for now. Once you have finished your main duties for the day, come back to your list and figure out a different day you can complete them when you have more energy to do them.
MAKE A PLAN
Getting organized will help you prioritize. I myself, keep three different planners. My first one is a monthly calendar, this one helps me keep track of all my bills, birthdays, vacations, and appointments. My second one is my weekly planner, so I am able to see what my whole week will look like on one page. Finally, I have my daily planner with responsibilities I need to get done that day. If I'm feeling low on energy, I only pick 1 or 2 assignments and focus on those for the day. For me, it is very easy to get distracted and writing out a to-do list helps me stay on track and calms me down as well. I usually spend Sundays planning out the week that's ahead of me and adjusting anything that needs to be fixed. Planning out when you're going to get everything done can help you stay motivated when you're depressed and feel like laying on the couch forever. Do not be afraid to try different planning systems until you find something that works for you! It could be a planner, a to-do list, an app on your phone, whatever works best for you. Find something and stick with it!
HAVE A CLEAR GOAL
Instead of focusing on accomplishing superficial goals, start focusing on achieving a feeling. Identify what your core desired feelings are and then set your intentions based on how you want to feel. This will help you on how to set goals in a way that is really inspiring and feels amazing at the same time. Having longterm goals that you are working towards can help you get through the day to day bullshit that needs to get done as well. If you can set some goals that get you really fired up, you can use them as enthusiasm when you feel like doing nothing.
STAY MOTIVATED
A great way that I stay motivated is I divide my year into four, 12 week chunks. This then creates a sense of urgency, because suddenly, it feels like I have less time to accomplish my goals. This actually helps me stay motivated because I feel like I need to work harder to get things done. When people give themselves a whole year to reach a goal they tend to put off getting started or not work as hard because they feel like they have all the time in the world to complete it. Next thing you know, the year is over and you haven't even started your new diet or fitness routine. Try to spend some time thinking about how you can create a sense of urgency to keep your motive up.
TREAT YO'SELF
No, not exactly like Donna and Tom do from Parks and Rec, but figure out a treat you can get yourself once you reach a certain goal. It is very important to celebrate your success. Make sure you can afford whatever is that you are celebrating with as well. Living with depression is tough, so whenever you are able to knock something off your to-do list, the feeling is victorious. Celebrating your success will help you stay motivated to keep going and achieve even more. Focus on the things that you are able to get done and don't beat yourself up about all the other things that you have yet to accomplish on your to-do list, you will get there soon.
BALANCE IS BULLSHIT
Sometimes getting shit done means being ok with life being out of balance. Maybe you want to start traveling, so you find a new job that you allows to take more time off. Maybe you are focusing on spending more time with your family, so you start planning family nights. Life comes in seasons, and during these different seasons, your focus will change. It is completely ok to let some things go for a little bit if you want to focus on improving one area of your life. If you're struggling with depression, now is not the time to try and have a perfectly, balanced life. Now is the time to relentlessly focus on taking care of yourself and getting your motivation back. Give yourself a break from the other areas of your life and just really double down on managing your mental health.
SUPPORT SYSTEM
Having people surround you who not only care about you, but support you, will help you go a long way. People that just tear you down aren't healthy for your state of mind. Depression can make you feel alone...and make you want to be alone. However, isolating yourself can actually make your symptoms worse. Surrounding yourself with a strong support network of friends and family, or even joining a support group can help you maintain a healing connection to people while you're dealing with depression. Find the people in your life who encourage you, and want what is best for you. Start cutting out the people who are making you quit doing the things you are the most passionate about. You will be amazed with the results.
I hope these tips will help you get going when you have little to no motivation to do anything. Everyone has days when they are functioning at a an all time high, and other days when they can't get out of bed. Be realistic about where you are at in life and set reasonable goals for yourself. Don't get down on yourself if you are not getting as much done as you anticipated, this is just a phase of your life, it will pass. Living with depression is tough, so be sure to give yourself credit for the things you are able to accomplish.
As always....Thanks for reading.