MOST people experience those days when getting UP and MOVING just seems overwhelmingly hard. And if you’ve been forcing yourself UP and OFF TO WORK Monday through Friday the weekends can become increasingly challenging if there’s no “have to schedule.”
So if you’ve been “mindlessly” slugging through an entire weekend — resulting in being hard on yourself, even a little discouraged or depressed, try some truly basic, pretty simple ideas for “starting your engine.”
You need pen and paper. Writing vs typing moves different parts of your brain — in helpful ways — so give it a try. The task is to make a series of lists…keep them, use them – as well as the suggestions I provide — any time when in a mood you characterize as “Im barely motivated to get out of bed.”
1- List things you MIGHT DO on your next free or open day (hoping you have one of those once in a while)
2- List things you’d really, truly LIKE to do.
3- List things you think you NEED to do.
4- List things you want to AVOID doing.
5 -List things you know you MUST do to avoid some negative consequence.
6- List things you know would make you feel better about yourself if you just DID THEM.
Now review your lists. Check for over lap or repetitions or even move things from one list to another.
Check how you feel as you complete the lists. Make some notes about your feelings: Better? Worse? Just the same? IF you feel even a bit motivated by reading your lists, something has shifted. And that is likely because the list making has impacted your THOUGHTS. If you do notice even a slight shift in your feelings in a positive direction, make some notes about WHAT YOU ARE THINKING.
If there’s zero movement in your thinking toward “better,” make the following list.
-What is the EASIEST possible task that would make you get up and move — knowing you can STOP IMMEDIATELY after completing the task. Ideas: brushing your teeth; loading or unloading the dishwasher; making the bed; taking the trash out; simply moving from one room to another! If this now starts to sound quite silly to you, again, something is shifting in your thinking. Pay attention, use the shift in your thinking TO MOTIVATE yourself to take action — even the most simple action. And REMEMBER: the THOUGHTS become feelings, the feelings become behaviors…
If nothing at all seems to move you into action at the most basic level, ask these questions:
-Am I legitimately exhausted and simply need a day of rest?
-Would a nap help? Or is this more serious than that?
-Am I experiencing these feelings more frequently? Am I a little depressed?
-Would it help to talk to someone?
-Do I NEED to talk to someone?
-Can I give myself permission to talk to someone?
READ and WRITE and REFLECT and answer questions when you can. If you realize you sometimes have distorted thinking — exaggerating, using inflammatory words, try my book WHAT’S WRONG WITH ME? MAYBE NOT THAT MUCH! and other blogs that describe the impact of negative thinking.
For additional information on reflection, check out my earlier blog … Some Weekend Reflection
You deserve to feel better. And remember you can always ask me questions.