If you are a client of mine who is struggling with depression, motivation, or feeling stuck, you probably have heard me give you “the speech.”
I *coined* (I say this lightly because really, this is Newton’s law, I just applied it to mental health) this term years ago:
“An object in motion stays in motion, unless acted upon by an outside force. An object at rest stays at rest, unless acted upon by an outside force.”
Sometimes the force that causes an object in motion to stop is depression, anxiety, life in general, a full plate, or “stinkin thinkin.” You were doing well. Exercising, working, taking care of the house and boom! you begin to feel less motivated, tired, and down. You stop exercising, begin eating out more, and hitting snooze until you absolutely have to get up. The house is messy. You care, but you’re waiting for “tomorrow when I have enough energy.” But the energy never comes. The motivation never comes.
You become the object at rest. And guess what? The outside force that changes that isn’t motivation, a sudden “aha!” moment, or a drill sergeant who yells at you until you do what you’ve been putting off.
The outside force is YOU!
Ever been tired, but you begin doing the dishes and then... “well if I’m going to do the dishes, might as well wash the counters. Oh, the shelves need dusting too.... I have a load of laundry that could be folded.” That is because once you got in motion, it’s easier to stay in motion.
Ever get home from work, dead tired, but know if you sit down you won’t get back up, so you do the household chores you need to do real quick?
I think you get my point.
What I want you to understand is this: it isn’t as hard as you make it out to be.
I don’t know about you, but I feel comforted realizing that I don’t have to wait for motivation to find me. I just do the damn thing because I realize I just have to be that force and I also realize (and this is important too!):
I know I will feel good after completing the task and feeling good is the goal, after all, isn’t it?
In this self-growth journey, you are going to read a lot about motivation, tips and tricks like “having a powerful why,” and other ways to trick your brain into finding energy or motivation. These are great, and I talk about them from time to time. But I like to keep it simple. I don’t have “big huge goals that motivate me.” My desire is simply to feel good. Not in a bad way. Just in a way that helps me check in with myself so I continuously stay congruent and on a path that feels right.
So, if I know exercise is going to help me feel good, give me energy, and help me focus through the day, I’m going to wake up early to do it.
Sometimes I do the thing... realize what I really need is rest, and rest instead. That’s okay too. At least I know now.
The list at the beginning of this article starts with are a few simple ways to get energy quickly. These don't just give you energy, they improve your mood. And these are shortcuts to ways you can get that jolt you are looking for.
If I am lagging energy, I will put away the dishes or do 20 jumping jacks real quick and that usually does the trick -seriously!
Other ways to increase energy:
•Take a good supplement with vit D and B12
•Take your Omega 3s
•Check items off your to-do list
•Call up a friend
•Send a nice text message or compliment someone
•Drink some water
•Eat whole foods (including carbs! Let’s not demonize food groups)
•Smile
•Practice the feeling of gratitude and appreciation
•Plan something to look forward to
•Pay attention to what gives you energy... and do those things more
•Pay attention to what drains you and plan accordingly
Hope this information was helpful!
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