Finding motivation

[AGrace]

Hey,

One of the things that struck me when I fell ill was how to motivate myself, and how to stay motivated? So I thought I'd share some of my tips, and I wondered whether you have some to share as well?

"Start where you are, use what you have, do what you can" Arthur Ashe

Set Goals (make them specific, measurable, achievable, realistic, and timely)

Share your goals with others (they may be able to monitor your progress)

Get out of bed each morning and start with a shower and breakfast

Prepare and use a schedule

Reward yourself for achievements

Allow others to help you when you need it

Do what you can (if that means getting out of bed, then do that)

Get to know your discomfort zone, this is what holds you back

Be willing to step out of your comfort zone

Sometimes action needs to precede motivation

Put on some upbeat energising music

"If you can't fly, then run, if you can't run then walk, if you can't walk then crawl, but whatever you do, you have to keep moving forward." Martin Luther King Jr.

[Jo3]

Hi Amber

Motivation is very difficult especially when feeling very down and not wanting to do anything but you have some great suggestions.

One of my group sessions at the hospital is goal setting and decluttering. We set little mini goals for the week until next session.  I usually set about 2-4 achievable goals and then tick them off.  It does feel good when you look back a week later and tick off the ones completed. 

Another tip I was given at the hospital was to always make your bed as soon as you get up otherwise it's an easy trap to go back to bed all day.

 Jo

[AGrace]

Hi Jo, 

I love the make your bed idea. You're right, when it's just the way you left it, it's tempting just to climb back in;) You could even go a step further and practice mindfulness by making your bed mindfully. 

Thanks for the suggestions:))

AG

[Aitsu]

I definitely agree with this and it was a very similar path I took when recovering from chronic manic depression around 10-15 years ago.

I was spiralling down and down, feeling like everything was just getting worse, an endless cycle that I couldn't get out of. The first thing I did to try and stop that spiral was to accept where I was at the moment. I then set tiny achievable goals and to give myself rewards once I had achieved them (living on weetbix at the time so the rewards were simple things), this way I had something to look forward to each week. At first achieving the goals didn't really give me any sense of fulfilment, after all I was feeling apathetic about everything, so those small rewards were a big incentive, mind you, you have to be fairly disciplined to not abuse that incentive thing.

It was a long road, eventually I started creating healthy routines such as exercising, and breaking comfort zones like being in public to try and re-train my brain and my behaviour responses (I hate that negative son of a... bugger that lives in my head)

It was a long road, unfortunately one I will probably have to re-take again.

[AGrace]

Hi Aitsu,

I'm glad to hear the goal setting has been beneficial for you in the past. Unfortunately it isn't just a quick fix for mental health, but a life long skill, so we need to continue the strategy. But as with all things the more and more we do it the more natural it will become.

I was also speaking with someone the other day who uses her dog to wake her up in the morning. He comes into the room and jumps on the bed. So she has something pleasant to wake up to. She knows she needs to feed him and either put him outside or take him for a walk. 

So I'd suggest if anyone has a pet, they can be a good source of motivation:)

The other idea I thought of was to have somewhere to go each day, even if it's down to the post office. If you know you have to go chances are you will.

AGrace

[Missyblu101]

Thank you :). Needed this this morning👍☺️

[AGrace]

You're Welcome Missyblu@101:)

Sometimes we all need a little help with getting motivated.

While I was away this last week Pineapple Juice was my motivator. If I got out of bed I knew there would be a fresh pineapple juice waiting for me down in the restaurant for breakfast.

AGrace

[HelenM]

It's so true that sometimes action precedes motivation. In my first depression my husband would make me get out of bed by lunch time and take me somewhere. I was ill it couldn't help but I still think it was the right thing. Once recovery started I managed to push myself. My biggest motivator is knowing that sitting around the house pulls me down. I go out every day and on the odd day I don't it means I'm having a very good day indeed.

I tend to be a bit better in the evening so if there's something I can't stand doing which must be done that's when I do it. I feel satisfaction that I managed to get it done.

[AGrace]

Hi Helen,

You make a good point, sometimes it's that sense of satisfaction or accomplishment that motivates us to do something again, or to at least do something.

A friend of mine who suffers from depression was telling me the other day that when she feels low her goal is to stand up. This got me at first, but then I thought about it, what do I normally want to do when I feel really low? Sit down, lie down. So even just standing up can get you moving. Ok so my goal for tomorrow - Stand Up:))

AGrace

[Pegasus]

Hi, I am really struggling at the moment. I've suffered from depression for over 5 years now but it is very much up and down. At the moment I am extremely down (yet I figure that at least I'm noticing that fact). My depression seems to come in the form of lack of motivation. Right now I really can't move from my bed so I'm writing this on my trusty iPad (thank goodness for technology!). I also gave up smoking 5 weeks ago (yay I know) but have put on weight each week since I gave up and that is a really big bone of contention with me and adds greatly to my depression. Can quitting actually make my depression worse or is that all in my imagination? I joke that at least I'm too depressed to go to the shop to buy cigarettes but I'm really not joking at all. Thanks to all the people who wrote  all the posts on this thread before mine. I will certainly try the standing up goal and making my bed (baby steps!).