[Max Ra]

I feel very unmotivated and have become different that way. What motivates us ... or not ?

[LavenderFruitNinja]

Well, humans seem to all have individual motivation systems. Some are motivated by the chance to get rest, others are motivated by getting to be with their friends or eat a food they truly enjoy. By withholding things the human mind craves and then giving it to them when the task is complete, it creates a reward system that usually works as motivation... I actually don't know how this works, because I am extremely unmotivated and can find nothing motivating as well, but I hoped this would be at least a tad... helpful.

[Perna]

I think we are motivated individually by what we find helpful to living our lives or what we want to add to our lives. I enjoy studying history, so I am motivated to take a history course this year, for example. You might want your own apartment/home, a certain kind of work, a certain degree, etc. When I feel unmotivated, I start basic and ask myself what one thing I want right this second and then I go get it. It can be hard to figure out what we want, especially if we have been told it is selfish or have not been able to get much of what we have wanted growing up, or haven't had much help expressing it, etc.

One thing that works for me is to realize I don't like being bored? So, I am motivated at least to find something interesting to consider?

"People often say that motivation doesn’t last. Well, neither does bathing. That’s why we recommend it daily." ~Zig Ziglar

[StrongerMan]

Hi,

Just my 2 cents. I feel this is very important for those of us who have suffered abuse in childhood. Fear is a big motivator for many people and looming large in my life right now. I find my fears control what motivates or inhibits me. I am an ACoA and struggle with a fear of being criticized, scrutinized or judged negatively. This is due to a learned helplessness I developed in childhood that no matter what I do, I will never be good enough to stand up to scrutiny. I am currently unemployed for a while due to health issues which, along with this fear, has really driven me into a spiral of hypervigilance to my fears as well as poor self confidence. So my fear actually motivates me to seek a comfort zone that protects me but it also inhibits or de-motivates me from doing what is necessary to break out of this comfort zone and force myself to believe in myself and craft an effective job search etc... And being unemployed further limits my ability to socialize and create opportunities for networking and promoting myself. It is a bad cycle that only feeds the feelings of helplessness and leads to depression. Other people might have children they must support or a mortgage to pay that motivates them to overcome a similar fear. So one fear overshadows the other. Some people might view that from another perspective and say that they are motivated *positively* to provide for their family. Maybe it is a glass half full or half empty thing. In my case, I have not found that dominant fear that can motivate me to break the cycle. I am currently entertaining going on an antidepressant that works on dopamine and norepinephrine such as wellbutrin to give me a boost. (haven't been on a prescribed AD in about 12 years and have been fairly level... but not happy). I am normally in a pretty good mood and motivated to do things but not those that take me out of my comfort zone. However, I have tried st. john's wort and rhodiola but haven't seen a dramatic effect. I am hoping there is a pharmacological treatment to help me see progress with therapy and get my "mojo" (if I had one) back.

I hope that makes sense. I guess the point is that fear can be such a powerful motivator in either a positive or negative way depending on how you look at it. Some victims of abuse cope with that fear in ways that often allow them to function in life somewhat more easily... ie success in career, better ability to form productive relationships etc... while others, like myself, can struggle more at times.

StrongerMan

[Marla500]

I am really experiencing this too. the only thing that really motivates me is taking care of my dog or making sure there is food in the house for the family. the one interesting thing I feel like doing is working on a project like painting some paper mache ornaments or something like that. sitting and painting really helps for some reason. or doing some laundry with some really nice smelling laundry soap, that makes me feel a little better too.