Low On Mental Motivation
Dear Tacit,
How can I stay motivated when I feel mentally drained?
Signed: Low On Mental Motivation
Dear Low On Mental Motivation,
When we are feeling mentally drained, staying motivated can feel impossible. The key is to work with our energy levels rather than forcing oursevesf through exhaustion.
Many of us believe that we have to ignore the signs that tell us we are out of balance (feeling tired, burnt out, overwhelmed, etc) and just “push through it” to make ourselves do whatever we had planned. And for short, necessary tasks, this makes sense. But to really be able to fire up that internal positive drive, we have to acknowledge the mental fatigue we are experiencing and find a way to meet our needs (work with what is really going on), rather than fighting against ourselves. Feelings of motivation can only exist when we have the right amount of energy and are in a healthy balanced state.
Here are some strategies that might help:
Step back and prioritize some rest and recovery time. Allow yourself a chance to recharge. When our battery is low, we cannot expect to perform well. Pushing through extreme fatigue (mentally, physically or emotionally) leads to burnout – which takes a much longer time to bounce back from. Understand that when you are drained, your expectations for the day MUST change. Give yourself permission to do what you can, rather than trying to do it all. Perfection is not the goal – recovery is.
Build a healthy flow into every single day. Take short breaks regularly (hourly) throughout the day; get good quality sleep; stay hydrated; eat little bits more often; and structure time for activities that restore your balance (like going for a walk, listening to music, reading or deep breathing).
Set small, manageable goals. Instead of looking at your whole to-do list and feeling as though it must all get done, break the tasks down into smaller steps. This allows you to create a momentum of successful accomplishments much more frequently. And these feelings of achievement will spark your motivation and refuel your energy levels (doing a lot without pausing to feel the accomplishment drains energy and motivation).
If you are having difficulty getting started, use the 5-Minute Rule approach. Aim to work on something for just 5 minutes. When the time is up, you might feel you can go even longer – that’s great! But if you can’t, that’s okay too. You have still made some progress. Hemingway told us to quit while the task still felt good – it makes returning to it again so much easier (and boost our motivation to do so).
Tie the task you are trying to accomplish into something else that you enjoy or do easily (this is called “habit-stacking” – James Clear). Or turn the task into a game or add fun elements to it, to make it more enjoyable. Change the environment or the time of day when you would normally do the task. Small changes can freshen up the overall feel of the task and make things less mentally tedious.
Our thoughts influence our feelings far more than we realize, so change your mindset. If we are dreading a task and are telling ourselves things like “Ughh, I do not want to do this”, then the motivation drain begins automatically. But if you can reframe your self-talk and say things like “I get to do this”, your brain will respond in a much more positive way.
Talk to a friend, or a co-worker, or a family member about how you are feeling. Don’t shoulder the mental exhaustion alone. Perhaps others can help (motivation can sometimes develop easier when a task is shared). Just sharing that you’re struggling can often help you feel renewed and re-energized.
Remember that mental exhaustion isn’t a sign of failure or a reflection of your capabilities. It’s a sign that your mind needs a little break and some caring attention. Give yourself grace, and remember that progress—even slow progress—is still success!
Take care!
Do you have a question you would like us to address? Please feel free to reach out to us at counsellors@tacitknows.com. Your answer will be provided confidentially.
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