May 26, 2015
There is no doubt that depression can kill motivation, energy and determination. However, it is important to stay motivated even when you may find yourself in a rut. If you don’t, important appointments and business meeting will be missed and you may even lose your job. The worst part is that you will use every failure to reinforce your feelings of worthlessness, helplessness and hopelessness. However, you need to understand that all the negative things that are happening are not because you are worthless or helpless, but because you lack motivation.
This is the reason you must do everything within your power to not let your motivation die. This is easier said than done but if you work at it by taking small steps you can get there. You can start by telling yourself that, regardless of your state of mind, you are going to stay in control of your fate. You can make the decision that even if you have no motivation what so ever, you are going to go to work and you will not miss a single appointment or business meeting. You can also make the decision that you are going to get help by finding someone you can talk to. This can be a social worker, a close friend, or a mental health specialist. You need to deal with your emotions in that manner. You should not keep your emotions for yourself.
The next step is to stop yourself from becoming your worst critic. There is no point in dwelling about should’ve or could’ve happened. You should instead spend your time trying to find ways and reasons to move on. You can start by accepting the fact that the past is not going to change regardless of how much you wish it could. It is better to spend that time constructively, finding solutions.
You should also try your best to stay away from your bed and room when you are feeling really down. It is important that you, instead spend time going for long walks, or shopping, or driving, or doing something that relaxes you.
Lastly, set simple goals every day to prove to prove to yourself that regardless of how low you feel, you will stay in control of the situation and you are not going to let your mood get in the way of living up to your responsibilities. Simple goals, like not skipping meals, keeping your appointments and attending business meeting or going to work on time are small but you can get a great deal of satisfaction at night when you realize that you did not surrender your motivation to your state of mind.