We all experience this from time to time. Motivation fluctuates.
You may sense it certain days and be extremely motivated to complete all the tasks. You don’t feel at all motivated on the other days. No matter how hard you try, you just aren’t in the mood to do anything.
Even while you are moving and looking at the computer screen, nothing will get done. You just want to sit around because you don’t have any energy.
However, there are few easy things that anyone may do to improve their attitude.
Some of these things you may already be doing, and you don’t have to do them all. Simply give the ones that are easiest for you or that feel most comfortable a try.
What to Do When You Don’t Want to Do Anything
You get control of your life when you take command of your mood.
This is what you will discover. The 15 strategies listed below will help you feel better and change your habit more and more.
And if you can maintain these routines after your mood has improved, you might feel better than you ever have.
1. Just go with it.
Your body and mind may be trying to tell you that they need a break while you don’t want to accomplish anything.
If you’ve recently been working yourself to the brink, hear this warning before you burn out.
In this circumstance, self-compassion is essential. Recognize your efforts, and then allow yourself permission to relax for a little. Take a nap, browse social media on your preferred app, or curl up with a pet and your favorite blanket – whatever seems comfortable and calming.
2. Don’t be too hard on yourself.
You can even get worse before you start to feel better, and mood improvements are more likely to be gradual than dramatic.
There will be both good and bad days if you go on the correct path. It can make a bad day that follows a good one appear more worse. Don’t be self-critical or depressed about your poor days. Over time, there will be less of them.
3. Go for a walk.
Get outside, even if it’s just to get milk or go for a stroll in the park.
Bright sunlight, clean air, the bustle of daily life, and the sights, sounds, and fragrances of nature can all be beneficial. Even if it’s just a 10-minute walk around the block, getting some modest exercise outside will help you feel better.
Altering your surroundings could inspire you to take action, like going to your preferred coffee shop. Even if it doesn’t, going outside for a while might make you feel better about relaxing on the couch the remainder of the day.
4. Eat outside.
Please give it a shot. Sit on a hill or beside the river with a sandwich (or fish and chips). Enjoy it. Tastes better than at home or at work, don’t you think?
5. Take a short shower.
It is the healthiest thing to do, even if you are feeling a little under the weather. You could also take a long bath, but make sure the temperature is cozy. You’ll feel a little more energized, which can help you get through the rest of the day.
The mammalian (diving) reflex, which literally optimizes your respiration by spreading oxygen levels around to all the best places, especially the heart and brain, will be activated by submerging your head under water, swimming, or taking a shower. Aside from the feel-good factor of cleaning yourself, these actions will make you feel better about yourself.
6. Speak with someone.
Reaching out to someone else might be a terrific strategy to get out of a rut when you’re feeling down. Consider who you could turn to for help in times like this.
Who can you talk to who might be able to relate to how you feel? Do you want someone to just listen to you, or do you want someone to motivate you to act?
Sometimes stepping out and just being around other people might be therapeutic if you don’t feel like hanging out with a friend or if your friend is unavailable.
Simple social interactions like enjoying a cup of coffee in a crowded coffee shop, grinning at shoppers, or saying hello to a neighbor can all improve your mood.
7. Try some simple tasks.
If you have a lot of unpleasant or dull tasks to complete (such as bills, errands, or housework), you might not want to accomplish anything. The idea of dealing with them could seem more intimidating if they have been accumulating.
Make a list of all the things you have to remember to do. Then, order them according to importance – what must be done right away? What may wait till the following month? They can also be arranged according to how simple they are.
Even if it just takes you 20 minutes, choose an easy or high-priority item to complete as your daily task. You can get out of this state of helplessness and get back on track by taking action, no matter how tiny.
Once you’re finished, check it off your list and allow yourself to relax the rest of the day.
8. Establish your mood.
Controlling your inputs is a fantastic approach to establish the tone for your day. Disable your alerts. Organize your workspace and surrounding area. Get into bed. Make a playlist of songs that you simply love and sing along to them.
Before you object, I will say that music also acts as a dopamine switch.
9. Listen to music.
When you don’t feel like doing much, music might assist fill the silence and give you something to ponder about.
Playing your favorite music can make you feel relaxed (or energized, or excited, or anything else, depending on the genre you like), but it may also have advantages for your brain, such as better attention and memory.
10. Create a plan.
Even if you don’t now feel motivated to work on something, you can still begin formulating ideas for what you might want to do in the future.
According to studies, mental imagery—the process of imagining the things you want to do—helps boost motivation, pleasure expectations, and reward expectations for those planned activities.
You can have something to look forward to and be excited about by doing anything like organizing a trip or another activity. When considering a future project or goal, you might visualize the finished product, outline the processes required, or even make a mood board for ideas.
11. Start small.
Starting something is frequently the most difficult part when trying to muster the energy to do it. So if you’re having trouble with the blues, starting small can be helpful.
Choose one tiny thing you can do and then do it rather than becoming overwhelmed by a mountain of activities you lack the mental or physical stamina to do.
You could attempt to take on simple chores like:
- Washing the dishes
- Making your bed
- Folding a load of laundry
- Answering an email
- Scheduling a meeting
- Putting the counters in order
- Paying one bill
Chores might be monotonous, but if you let them pile up, even the smallest jobs can start to feel daunting. Sometimes all it takes to get things going is one tiny task. After finishing that simple task, you might think that taking on another one won’t be too terrible.
Additionally, it’s okay if you decide to stop after just one! Be kind to yourself and take action when you can.
12. Offer yourself a reward.
When you finish a task, you should congratulate yourself and reward yourself.
After finishing the task at hand, reward yourself.
- Once the article is finished, you can take an hour off to do whatever you like.
- If you exercise at the gym, treat yourself to your preferred coffee at your preferred cafe.
- If you finish the assignment, treat yourself to a delicious lunch at your preferred eatery as a reward.
13. Read (or listen) to a book.
Never forget that sometimes doing nothing is perfectly fine. However, reading a book can be a low-key method to feel productive if you feel like you should be doing something or have some guilt about “wasting time,” especially if it’s a nonfiction book on a topic you want to learn more about.
Consider an audiobook if you lack the motivation to even hold a book (it happens). As long as you have a library card, many libraries allow you to borrow audiobooks or electronic books for no cost.
People who don’t have a lot of free time to read can benefit from audiobooks because you can listen to them while doing nearly anything else. If you’d rather to lie still and let noises wash over you, they can also provide a method to “read.”
14. Activate the memory bank.
Is anything worth doing if we can’t remember it? View pictures of enjoyable occasions (but avoid those with the ex who made you distinctly unhappy)! or peruse a diary. You’ll start to consider the upcoming ones when you are reminded that life has its amazing moments.
15. Finally, laugh!
Is there anything that makes you feel better than a good laugh? Create a small playlist on YouTube of your favorite comedic videos, read a humorous book, watch a funny TV show, or simply search the internet for anything amusing.