Doing healthy ways to motivate yourself to do something is sometimes challenging. It is even more daunting when you have no inspiration or desire to take action. But what can you do when you need to get moving? How can you motivate yourself when you need to finish a task or project? The answer lies in this post.
Seeking Healthy Ways to Motivate Yourself
“The two most important days in your life are the day you are born, and the day you find out why,” said Mark Twain.
There is a myriad of reasons why a person feels unmotivated. Knowing what causes that will help you find your purpose. There are plenty of reasons why you don’t feel motivated [1]. It could be due to your:
- Self-doubt
- Uncomfortable feeling
- Lack of commitment to meet the goal
- Overwhelmed feelings
- Avoidance of discomfort
It could also stem from other reasons like the fear of doing something wrong in the process or the desire to please everyone. Knowing what keeps you unmotivated will help you figure out how to tackle the present emotions you feel and move onwards to meet your goals. That said, here are ten healthy ways to motivate yourself.
Know the “WHY” of your situation
The simple version is to know why you are doing the thing you are doing. Does it make sense? For example, if your current goal is to stop drinking soda after every meal, ask yourself why you want to do that. Knowing the reason behind such purposes will give you a better view of your progress rather than just saying you want to get healthy.
Take action
By taking action, I mean act as if you are already doing your thing. If you only wait for motivation to land on your lap, meeting your goals may not happen. Instead, go, get up and move. Dress for the occasion. If you want to work out, dress in your workout clothes. It’s a lot easier to motivate yourself once you take action.
Think of positive thoughts
When you are unmotivated, you often think of “I can’t do it,” or “I will fail,” and sometimes, “It’s a bad idea” can demotivate you to do something. But why not turn your I CANTs to I CANs? I will fail to I will succeed? – it is easier to motivate yourself when you are your hypeman!
Avoid thinking negative thoughts because your mind is a powerful tool. You give power to your own words, so avoid thinking of too much negativity! Instead, fuel yourself with good vibrations, positive encouragement, and you will feel more motivated than ever.
Forget excuses
It’s easy to be unmotivated when you have an excuse for everything. If you are making excuses to correct yourself, then chances are, you will use it again next time. Believing your excuses will not change your behavior.
The best approach is to look your reasons in the eye and be honest with yourself. Do you think avoiding a situation will make things better? Probably not, right? Forget your excuses and start working!
The 10-Minute Rule
The 10-minute rule is a simple trial and error that you can do to see if you are that unmotivated. To use this, all you have to do is give yourself 10 minutes to quit a task. Once the ten-minute mark is up, ask yourself if you want to give up or keep going.
You’ll be surprised to see that you most likely have enough reason to keep going. So when you find yourself uninspired to do a task, use this rule to get you going.
Take a break
When you find yourself unmotivated to work or start a project, go out and take a break. Take a walk or go for a run; it will help clear your mind and get the inspiration you need. Sometimes, taking a break from your usual routine is all you need to get inspired.
A change in scenery or fresh air will jump-start your senses again. After taking a break, you will notice that you feel better and energized to start working again. If you haven’t done this already, this is your sign to pause and have a break.
Prioritize your list of to-do things
It can be overwhelming when work piles up, and you don’t know what to do. This will cause anxiety and feelings of dread, which leads to more procrastination. What you can do, however, is to list down all your task and see which one needs immediate action.
Once you have sorted out which work needs your attention, it will be easier to figure out how to tackle the problem, and you will be more motivated to get to work.
Take care of YOU
If you struggle with motivation to work or finish a task, it probably means you are overworked or burned out. The lack of sleep, not eating the proper diet, and lack of leisure are a few reasons you don’t have the same enthusiasm as you used to.
When you find yourself unmoved, find time to take care of yourself. Create a self-care plan that allows you to take care of your mind and body. It doesn’t have to be a complicated one. A simple bubble bath can help. Maybe you need to sleep more or do more exercise.
Use healthy coping skills to deal with stress and anxiety – all of these are essential in staying motivated. So always practice self-care.
Your Takeaway
Staying on course is not always easy. Your motivation can run out, it happens, but you can choose to remain unmotivated or do something about it. If you stay unmotivated, you are letting the chances pass by. But if you take action right now, the world is your oyster; anything is possible! Hopefully, this post sheds some light on you to use these healthy ways to motivate yourself.
