Motivation when Depressed

A common response to identifying lifestyle changes that might make a depressed person feel better is, Easier said than done. Someone coping with depression may get what she's supposed to do, but the question is how? After all, depression kills motivation, energy, interest, and focus.Once you give the engine a jump, it often becomes easier, but until then, how do you connect the jumper cables you need to make a spark?

When your depressed, youre not functioning at your usual 70-90%. Rather, youre sitting somewhere closer to 20%. If you set the same expectations for yourself that you had when you werent feeling depressed (which is sometimes just getting dressed), youre going to feel anxious and overwhelmed, and probably wont do the task you expected from yourself (and thus will feel defeated and ashamed).

Set SMALL AND SPECIFIC GOALS

Seriously. Unload the dishwasher. Heck, unload three glasses. Task completed and still itching for more? You can always raise the bar if youre feeling particularly motivated. Take note that if you feel highly overwhelmed while tackling your goal, chances are it's too high and you need to lower it to something more realistic or specific.

Practice self-compassion

Self-criticism is depressions BFF. If you beat yourself up for being so unproductive and lazy, Youre going to keep yourself feeling like crap and thus, paralyzed. Try instead to use the same encouraging words you might use for a friend or loved one.

Recruit support, or ask for help

Some of us have trouble holding ourselves accountable at the best of times. With little motivation or energy, its that much harder. Confide in someone you trust, and ask for their help. Ask a friend to hold you to your commitment. Ask your partner to accompany to a yoga class. Pay for your support group, counseling appointment, or massage beforehand so youll be more motivated to attend.

Envision how you'll feel after the task

Getting in the shower, going for a walk, preparing a meal, or hanging out with a friend seems like a very ominous task if you focus on the effort involved. People who are depressed generally have low self efficiency, which means they have low confidence in their ability to perform tasks. As such, they tend to feel overwhelmed and avoid such tasks. Lower expectations for yourself within the task, and envision how you (might) feel after the task rather than during.

Make the goal to do it, not to enjoy it

When youre feeling depressed, its natural to lose interest in things that used to make you happy.. Comedy is no longer funny, sports are no longer fun, spending time with friends is no longer engaging. Anxiety, depression, and self-loathing take over, leading to feelings of detachment and defeat. So, when doing something fun or active, do it with the goal to do it, not to enjoy it.

Acknowledge your courage for stepping out of your comfort zone

As painful as it is, depression can be come comfortable in a devil you know kind of way. You know what to expect, for the most part. You know the pain, youre in the pain, you can predict that tomorrow will be more of the same. The idea of stepping out of this comfort zone can be quite anxiety provoking.If you keep doing what youve always done, youre always going to get what youve always gotten. So, if you find youre able to do something (even very slightly) different, congratulate yourself. Theres a good chance whatever youre experiencing will come with anxiety, because anxiety accompanies uncertainty. Anxiety may be telling you youre stepping out of the familiar routine of depression, so acknowledge your courage and try to bring such experiences forward in your journey.