I remember it well. The year was 2013. After some months of high energy, I had hit the proverbial wall. All my motivation was gone, or so I thought.
This meant forcing myself to get out of bed for the bare necessities. For example, I would get moving- ever so slowly moving- just in time to get to work. The heaviness was intense as I drove to clients’ homes and did my job assignments. All I could think about was finishing— so I could go back to bed.
I was in a deep depression, and my desire to do anything had disappeared.
We often talk about motivation as something that comes and goes. Maybe we believe that sometimes we have it, but at other times, we just don’t.
We might find ourselves craving a surge of energy or a wave of commitment to help us tackle our list of things we’re needing to accomplish. At these times, even a symptom like hypomania can be a more-than-welcome visitor.
Unmasking a Myth
I’d like to present an idea: that we are actually ALWAYS motivated. However, we are not always motivated to do that thing we think we should be doing instead!
Our body is always motivated to do something. What if we listened to our body more, responding to what it was asking for?
This might look like:
- Resting when we need rest (mentally, emotionally, or physically)
- Eating when we are hungry
- Caring for ourselves when we are in pain, whether physical or emotional
- Getting help when an ongoing lack of energy indicates a bigger problem needs addressed
So the next time you feel you are lacking motivation, try this:
Ask yourself: What am I truly motivated to do right now? If the answer is “rest”, that is okay!
Get curious. Ask: Why is my body craving rest right now? What has been happening in my life? And what do I want to be able to do instead of rest? Can it wait? What is most important to me?
I’d love to hear what you discover! Send me a DM on Instagram if this message resonates with you.
by Rachel Elaine Foster, RN
Rachel is a registered nurse and trauma-aware, certified wellness coach, with 25 years of personal experience dealing with symptoms of bipolar II disorder.
Her focus is providing compassionate coaching to individuals with symptoms of bipolar II disorder such as hypomania, depression, and anxiety.
