Start stuff, then maybe be motivated to continue. I can be depressed and in a dirty apartment, or depressed in a clean apartment. Depressed in a clean apartment is nicer. So, I do a little and sometimes that turns into a lot.
this post was submitted on 03 May 2025
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Mental Health
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Hey, reality check. You... You don't.
Motivation isn't a real thing. Motivation is like happiness. It's a fleeting gift, you shall not seek it or it will never come.
Motivation is born of discipline. Discipline is real.
I just do stuff out of habit
The crushing weight of purposelessness
I focus less on getting motivation and more on structuring my life so that I can work with less. I've accepted that I am always going to feel low energy but it's a lot easier to manage when everything is a habit on autopilot and my life is super organized. So the more I can autopilot things I need to do due to a very structured routine, the easier it is to cope with low energy because I am making fewer decisions.
I start with the smallest, actionable step. And then I don't beat myself up if I can't do more- it's basically figuring out what the smallest thing you can do to make things better is, and then doing that. If I need a shower, what can I do to make it as easy as possible. Then I plan to do the bare minimum but if I find more motivation as I'm doing the task then great! I can have a full shower. If not, well I've only committed to doing the bare minimum so if I need to be in and out in 5 minutes that's ok too.
it’s pretty simple really: i don’t
I mentioned this in a post last week but I use the reward system thing. If I want to watch a movie, play games or even just sit and eat some ice cream I'll make myself do something to earn it. It doesn't even have to be something significant so even just a a quick tidy up or having a shower is enough because it all adds up.
If you’re depressed, sometimes you need something like exercise or spending time with your people (irl, not online).
If you’re depressed, sometimes you need therapy, sometimes you need meds.
Sometimes you have to fake it first.
Sometimes you need to make yourself do the thing.
Sometimes you need to be kind to yourself and give yourself rest and acceptance.
Funnily enough I'm exercising right now. Just quickly lemmying in between reps
Find a few sheets of stickers that you like. Every time you do something thats hard, write it down and give yourself a sticker. Then when you're having a bad day, you can look at the list of shit you've accomplished, and the awesome stickers you've earned.
Necessity. When the fridge and cupboards have been empty long enough, I can usually talk myself into going grocery shopping.
By telling myself that whatever I'm doing is an investment in the future version of me
I have a couple of mottos
One is "Semper Paratis" (always prepared)
The other is "Omnes Enim Nancy" (All for Nancy name changed the name of protect my woman's identity)
If I can't face doubt something for myself, I just think about how everything I do affects her too