During the pandemic it is important to cultivate your confidence and comfort, while also utilizing self-care to avoid burnout.  One of the most important way to help avoid burnout is to check in on your feelings regarding motivation. Motivation is an essential element that contributes to our overall mood during the pandemic, and throughout various areas in our lives. Motivation also goes beyond the pandemic and is an essential part of life that can help or hinder us. Motivation can be a challenging idea to conquer and can sometimes feel really hard to accomplish.

Many of us struggle to find the motivation to stay on task for a long period of time. The number one challenge to staying motivated is lack of self care. If you are able to realize the immense value of slowing down and taking care of yourself, energy for motivation becomes more available. This might seem counterproductive if pressure has been a source of motivation used to complete tasks in the past. This can create the idea that motivation can be created through pressure and pushing ourselves. However, an important question to ask is: “Will this type of motivation be sustainable and genuine?” If you are able to find a routine of taking care of yourself you will find that the energy required for true internal motivation is long-lasting.

Society often places such a large value on being “go go go,” but often has leaves us feeling burned out, with little ideas for how to remedy this. In order to be able to be “go go go” successfully over a long period of time, we also need to find strong ways to take care of ourselves and recharge. The saying goes, “you cannot serve from an empty cup.” This is so often applied to how we are able to serve others, but, it goes for ourselves, too. If we are operating on empty, we are also not able to help ourselves. Here are two important questions to ask yourself in order to help cultivate motivation.

 First, ask yourself: what makes you feel energized?  This might seem like a silly question, but even the simplest answers are relevant. Maybe your first thought is food or nourishment. I challenge you to think a little deeper. Yes, food and water are our literal fuel for life, but what are the things that really make you feel energized? Some examples are your favorite song, a book you love to re-read, or friendships. This can also serve as a a great journaling prompt!

Second, ask yourself whether you have been creating space and time in order to value engaging in these things that make you feel energized. If going for a walk and listening to your favorite playlist makes you feel re-charged, how often are you scheduling this into your week? If being around others makes you feel better, are you pursuing substitutes, like safely being with others through video chatting or socially distant gatherings? If you can find space and time for these activities and place a strong sense of value on them, you will be able to stay energized for other tasks as well.

These task oriented ways of staying motivated might sound simple, but it is harder than it sounds. Finding the things that re-charge you and then being present during the activity is hard, and, making time for these tasks can be challenging! Although finding things that help you gain energy can be challenging, it is immensely worth it. Through finding these activities and making time for them, you will find that you are more likely to stay on task with things that you need motivation for, such as supporting causes you believe in and be happier overall! 

If you have any questions about motivation or would like support in working on staying motivated, please reach out today to Lily@upsidertherapy.com.