I have lost any ounce of motivation to better myself I had. Not working on my education, not working out, not going to therapy. It's been like this for quiet some time. If something is hard, I just don't do it. I honestly don't know where to pull things out from inside myself to pull through and just do it. It's infuriating. How do I get it back? Are there magic words I need to chant to myself? I'll try just about anything.

[SunAngel]

[quote=joannasouras;1987972]I have lost any ounce of motivation to better myself I had. Not working on my education, not working out, not going to therapy. It's been like this for quiet some time. If something is hard, I just don't do it. I honestly don't know where to pull things out from inside myself to pull through and just do it. It's infuriating. How do I get it back? Are there magic words I need to chant to myself? I'll try just about anything.[/q\

I could have written this post myself. Total lack of motivation here.

My husband tells me to just do one thing a day. So one day, I will dust the floors. The next day, I vacuum the rug, the next day, dust the tables, the next day clean the bathroom. The bathroom is a real challenge for me, but I just go in there and just start cleaning the sink and then move on to the toilet, then the floors.

I take baby steps everyday, and by just getting one thing done a day, I feel like I at least accomplished something.

Pick one thing to do a day and make sure you follow through with it. You will feel a great deal of accomplishment.

If one day you want to go to the gym, just do that one thing, then go home an relax. The next day do something different. You really need to take those baby steps everyday.

[Perna]

I notice your mood is "bored", that's a good thing

I read really gung ho "self help" books like: http://wishcraft.com/ and Peter McWilliams' books: http://www.drugsense.org/mcwilliams/...it/doittoc.htm

[rjaimz]

I as well have been at a loss of motivation. I get where you are coming from. I am aware of the things I need to be doing, its just doing them is the trick. I was working on my degree in addiction counseling, I dropped that like a hot potato. I think about picking it back up daily, something stops me and I feel horrible because I cannot finish anything. I feel like a complete loser at times. But there are days I feel like I can accomplish anything in the world. I like the advice SunAngel gave. I am going to try it myself. I really need to feel that sense of accomplishment. I like the goal within it. To reach a daily goal and to feel good about doing it no matter how big or small.

[unaluna]

Originally Posted by joannasouras

Are there magic words I need to chant to myself?

LOL - if only!

I need to try SunAngel's advice, myself. I've always been known for being this determined, ambitious person who could get everything done, but I'm just so worn out now. I have to expend so much of my energy just trying to control myself... It's genuinely disappointing to me & makes me doubt my abilities. So perhaps if I can just do one thing a day, it'd be easier to ease back into getting things accomplished. Blah.

Magic chant suggestions: abrahadabra, presto chango, vini vidi vicci, open sesame, etc.

[Secretum]

I understand you completely; I also really struggle with motivation. I can go days without replying to a text or e-mail. I leave dishes unwashed and projects half completed. However, there are some things (like going to classes that aren't large lectures, keeping appointments, completing assignments that will be collected, etc.) that I feel that I have no choice but to do, regardless of how I'm feeling. I don't always do these things well; oftentimes I'll bs the assignments, not pay attention in class (but pretend to take notes so that nobody suspects anything!), drag myself half-dead to the appointments and have little to contribute...

I am not motivated by any anticipation of pleasure or benefit when I have to force myself to do these things. No, it's the irrational fear that if I give up these bare-minimum, essential pieces of living that I will turn into a vegetable, never rise out of the depression, and never do anything useful again, ever. So, if you're desperate enough to become a zombie in exchange for getting (or appearing to get) something done, you can try my approach.

For example, if you want to get back into therapy, schedule all your appts ahead. Now you have to go, because your therapist is expecting you, and you'd be letting him down if you canceled. Not to mention that canceling requires you to pick up the phone, which takes additional effort! You may find yourself in session with no idea what to discuss, and you may make very slow progress. But, at least you can say you are in therapy.

Good luck, and I hope you find something that works.

[OneDown]

I would agree with Secretum that fear can be a great motivator. The fear of disappointing others has been a good motivator for me when nothing else has worked; I worry that if I don't do something, I will let someone down and that will just make my mood worse and that fear is a great motivator to get at least *something* done. Taking "baby steps" is a big help too. For me, some days, I have to break it down into steps like "ok, now sit up in the bed... ok, now swing around and put both feet on the floor... ok, now get out of bed..." Doing this helps me build a little momentum that can get me going for at least part of the day.

Hope you find something that works for you, good luck!

[BlackPup]

Firstly, I would consider your mood, if you are depressed even if it is *only* mildly, then it is really hard to get yourself to do anything. Maybe your meds need tweaking?
Secondly, I need to do lists to get anything done, especially when depressed. Focus on what you have achieved and not what you "should of" done and didn't do.
Thirdly, exercise, try to get out and do something, it doesn't have to be intense, just a walk around the park is fine. Again - don't beat yourself up about what you haven't done and focus on rewarding yourself when you do it.

[unaluna]

My lack of motivation can be driven by the perception that if I do something good, something bad will happen. For a while, as soon as I got the motivation to wash the dishes, I would get a call from a family member. HOW DID THEY KNOW??? It was almost spooky. But probably just simple math - it's been 3 months, I feel better / LET'S CALL HER! And I would be back to square zero, on the couch, in bed. After a while, like Pavl0v's dog, you don't even need the bell to ring to send you back to your corner. So I cut that off.

I have started doing things in stages, like clean 2/3rds of the bathroom, don't put all the towels in the linen tower at once - this keeps me from hearing my mother's voice saying, "Sure, your room is perfect now, but how long are you gonna keep it that way? You never do! Your husband is gonna beat you if you can't keep a clean house, and then you'll learn. We tried to teach you."

Now I am starting to hear just my own voice, gee this looks nice. It's nice to have a clean bathroom. Where's my perfume? Let's shave your mustache (darn Italian genes!).

[sugahorse1]

I think it's imperative to write down goals. Break big ones into little steps.
Reward yourself for reaching a milestone
I know it can be hard to get motivated at times, but keeping looking forward to the bigger picture