What to do When You Feel Unmotivated – 3 simple yet effective tips
We all have those times in our lives when we just don’t want to.
We may not want to work out, we may not want to cook dinner, we may not want to read, or we may not want to go to work.
There will always be that I don’t want to feeling in life, no matter who you are.
Lack of motivation, lack of drive, or lack of energy are real issues in life that can prevent us from accomplishing our goals.
How we handle this lack of motivation, however, can either help you build good habits or lead you down a spiral of frustration.
Check out these very simple, easy, yet very effective tips to deal with a lack of motivation in any area of your life!
What to do when you have no motivation?
Three simple, easy, and effective tips coming right up!
Think about why you’re doing this task in the first place.
Really. Think about why you’re doing anything.
The impending existential crisis in you might say doesn’t matter, but the logical part of you needs to be heard and listened to.
You’re working out to have a healthier body, to see what you can do.
You’re cooking to have more nutrition in your diet and feel better.
You read to learn a little more about a topic you’re vaguely interested in.
You work to make money to live your life the way you want to live it.
Truly, apply this thought process to anything you feel unmotivated about. Ask yourself why and let that guide you, fuel you, into action you feel good about.
Think of three accomplishments you’ve had in the past.
When we complete something, it feels good.
That’s why experts say to make your bed in the morning. Even a small accomplishment signals to the brain that you did something you should be proud of, something you can feel good about.
Finishing something, anything, feels good!
So, when motivation is lacking in your life, try to remember times when you saw something through. Maybe you completed that 30 day cardio challenge, maybe you finished a project at work, maybe you finished a chapter in a boring book.
Maybe you nailed a recipe a new recipe and while the meal didn’t look good it tasted like success.
It can be big accomplishments or small milestones. Whatever it is, think of three that make you remember why you even want to accomplish your current task in the first place!
Take some deep breaths to calm you down.
Yes, it always comes down to breathing.
We underestimate the power of our breaths.
Physically, deep breaths signal to the body that it is time to relax, that there is nothing to fear at the moment, nothing to stress over.
Deep Breaths activate the parasympathetic nervous system, the part of the body responsible for homeostasis. In homeostasis, the normal stability of the body, you can think and feel more at ease and have positive emotions.
This feeling of calm can help you think more clearly about what you need to do, why you need to do it, and can even motivate you to do it.
The Takeaway
While we all have those moments where we just don’t want to (do anything in particular), there are simple and effective ways to overcome them and complete our goals.
Remember why you started your task in the first place! It doesn’t have to be a life-changing reason why, it can simply be you wanted to eat a healthy dinner, so you will cook tonight.
Any task like this can be expanded and explored, so truly think of your why. Maybe you wanted to fuel after a workout, you wanted to try this new recipe, or maybe you just wanted to learn a new skill.
Motivate yourself by remembering how you felt when you did accomplish something! This can be fuel to help you focus and power through.
And in the end, we work best in a state of peace. When you feel overly worried, stressed, or anxious, don’t forget the power of your breath.
Conscious slow breaths have instant physical results that can calm you. This will help tune your state of mind to one that can accomplish anything it sets out to do!
