Does anybody else just feel really unmotivated?

[smirkymonkey]

It's funny. I do not feel depressed. I am not really upset about my situation, even though I have been wfh for the past six months and pretty much socially isolating. Everything seems to be working out ok. I keep in touch with people via internet, phone, text, etc. I have been out very rarely, and have been very careful on those occasions.

However, I have found that I am just getting really lazy and sluggish. I could be doing so much while I am here at home, but when I am not working I tend to be on the internet, reading, watching movies or videos, napping or trying to sleep or just generally wasting time. I just can't seem to get motivated to take on any projects or even go for a walk. I would like to get out a bit more, but I keep telling myself, "Maybe tomorrow."

Just wondering if anyone else is feeling the same kind of inertia. I sometimes feel like I will never have my energy back again.

[redwitch]

1. Right there with you.

We probably have lots of company!
Hang in there!

[smirkymonkey]

23. Thanks redwitch!

[First Speaker]

2. Yes! Exactly how I feel...

...and I *need* to get motivated. Have to find a new place to live eventually, other stuff...and I find myself just nodding off, saying to myself--"well, it'll keep til tomorrow". Though I have been able to go for a walk, thank God...

[smirkymonkey]

24. Yes, exactly! My constant refrain. "Tomorrow."

I think I need to just get outside and get some fresh air. It's been so hot here, and summer always makes me feel sluggish, but it's starting to cool down a little so hopefully I can get out and just walk a bit. I think just being so sedentary is part of the problem.

[Rhiannon12866]

46. I'm doing the same thing, dread occasions when I have to go out

And I'm not getting anything done. I want to put my head down and I usually fall asleep...

[smirkymonkey]

47. I know exactly how you feel.

I am just getting much too fond of my bed. It's so cozy, and I seem to dread having to get out of it.

[Rhiannon12866]

48. I used to be out and about every day during the week

These days, just one day running errands is an effort. And there are things I need to get done, I need to go back to the doctor, my dog is due for a checkup, my car needs an oil change and I have a long-scheduled dentist appointment coming up as well as a needed grooming appointment for my dog. But I keep procrastinating, though I know we'll both feel better, and I'm dreading them.

[fleur-de-lisa]

3. You just described my situation perfectly.

[smirkymonkey]

25. I'm sorry you are going through this too, fleur-de-lisa.

It has been quite a long slog. I thought we might be out of it by now, but it's not looking good. I am looking forward to the cool, crisp fall air because then I will be so much more inclined to go out and walk and get some exercise. I just hate the heat so I have been cooped up in my apt. with the AC.

Take care of yourself and be well!

[mitch96]

4. Same here.. I noticed my motor-vation ebbs and flows like the tide..

Some days I'm full of piss and vinegar and other days I wake up, have a cup of coffee and want to take a nap! When I feel like that I do simple things. First is make the bed.. Always a good start for me. Then do something simple.. then the next thing and then the next. Yes I take breaks in between. Sometimes it helps and sometimes no.. But I make my bed every morning...
YMMV, works for me.
m

[smirkymonkey]

26. I have days like that as well. I am fortunate enough to be able to wfh, but on weekends, I will

sometimes wake up early and then feel like going back to bed around 10am and sleep for another few hours.

I can't tell you how long it has been since I have last made my bed. I sometimes throw the top quilt up over everything to make things look neater, but it's kind of a sad, lazy way to make your bed look made.

[diva77]

31. Actually, it's good to leave your bed unmade when you get up -- you want the moisture to go away so

you won't have critters growing amidst the threads.

[skylucy]

5. Oh yeah. I feel the same and have friends who tell me they also feel very unmotivated. Sometimes

depression manifests itself that way.

[smirkymonkey]

27. It's funny that you mention that. Even though I say that I don't feel depressed, and I don't,

I actually feel like depression can manifest itself in many different ways, which is why we are not always aware of it.

I think it's kind of low grade depression (as opposed to the bone crushing, horrible depression that I used to feel) where you just don't think or care about much at all I can't even think about what would make me happy. Sometimes I feel like I would just like to lie in bed all day while having a committee taking care of all my needs. Where I didn't have to make any descision

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

6. Yup, exactly like that.

I'm not depressed, just inert. I have many household projects that need doing, but I'm not doing them, except for maybe moving a few things around and putting a few things away. Mostly I doom-surf* the Internet and watch Netflix. I just bought one of those Fitbit-type things to make me face what a lethargic slug I've become. It might help motivate me a little. We'll see.




*Doom-surfing is the practice of searching the Internet compulsively for more bad news because everything is like the bad car wreck you can't look away from.

[smirkymonkey]

16. So there is a name for it! "Doom Surfing".

Glad to hear that I'm not the only one! Sorry, you are caught up in it too.

I walk around with a spray bleach bottle and clean surfaces to make myself feel like I am keeping things clean, but the Clorox shortage is a real thing. I've never been very good with floors though. I will occaionally clean out a drawer here and there. I'm just so lethargic! My feeling is that "Well, nobody is going to pop by, so why bother?"

My place isn't a complete mess, but it could be a lot better.

[Laffy Kat]

56. Perfect name, Doom Surfing.

At least I know what to call it now. I feel so guilty.

[rurallib]

7. Very much so

[smirkymonkey]

43. Hang in there, rurallib.

Hopefully we will all get through this slump soon. Nothing, including this, lasts forever. Take care of yourself!

[redstateblues]

8. I feel like I should have done something great:

Learning a language, take piano lessons etc. Aside from my garden-nothing. I’m sluggish and I sleep too much.

[sfstaxprep]

11. I Get Bored, So I Take A Nap

Naps have become part of my daily schedule.

[Buckeye_Democrat]

13. There's some awesome programs called "The Great Courses"...

... that I've watched (free and unlimited) from my local library using an app called Kanopy.

They've helped to keep my mind active, much more than most types of media.

[smirkymonkey]

17. I know what you mean. I have all these books piled up that I have ordered and mean to

read, but I am just completely glued to my computer. I have started Mary Trump's book, but I have a book on African American History called "The Warmth of Other Suns" that I haven't cracked and a number of other history books that are just waiting to be read. I love to read, but I have just been such a slug lately.

[smirkymonkey]

42. I had all kinds of grand plans too!

So much for that!

At least you are gardening! That is something, and much more than I am doing! I seem to vacillate between sleeping too much or not at all. I would give anything to get this sleep issue balanced out. I am trying to spend less time online and more time reading. It's really hard to pull myself away from the computer. I think it's kind of an addiction.

[Buckeye_Democrat]

9. I'm ready to return to work somewhere, BUT...

... I'm going to wait-and-see at least until the Fall. I'm expecting more flare-ups after schools reopen.

In the meantime, I think the recent mask mandate has helped in Ohio. I was surprised by the compliance that I've seen, given the scowls that I received from non-maskers previously. And we currently have a lower infection rate than most states, including Hawaii now.

[smirkymonkey]

18. Yes, we were supposed to return this week, but then they made it voluntary since cases in the

state started to uptick again. Nobody went in anyway. Also, I am so not a morning person and I love sleeping right up until the last minute. I am also very worried about what will happen when school starts. I really do not want to be exposed to parents with school-aged children.

I hope we continue to have the option. Unfortunately, I think the rest of 2020 is going to be a complete nightmare and I wish I could just be sedated until after Jan 20th, 2020. Longer, if Biden doesn't win. A Trump win is unthinkable to me.

I am surprised Ohio has done so well, and your governor has done a pretty decent job for a republican. My company is headquartered out of Ohio so we kind of take our cues from what is going on there, although they allow execs in every state and country to determine risk for themselves. I hope you guys keep up the good work!

[Buckeye_Democrat]

21. DeWine needs to ignore the Trump lunatics...

... and stay focused on reducing new cases and deaths.

He declared a mask mandate long ago, then backed off after the Trump kooks raised a fit about it. Weeks later, when cases were increasing, he finally mandated them again and stuck with it.

I'd prefer a Democrat, of course, but at least DeWine doesn't seem to be a sociopath like Trump and many other Republicans. I felt similarly about Kasich. The religious-viewpoints irk me, but he also seemed more reasonable than many other Republicans.

Good luck to you! Remain safe as best you can!

[sfstaxprep]

10. I've Been Smoking More Pot Too....

Seems to make me even less motivated than I already am.

Yeah, feels like a 6 month funk. I've taken to drinking beer and counting down the days to January 20.

[smirkymonkey]

19. Thank god I don't like pot.

I would never get out of bed.

Hopefully, this long national nightmare will be over soon, but it just seems to be draggin on for sooooo long!

[mitch96]

29. Smoking weed, I've taken to drinking beer

Ahh the quarantine 15... I hate it.. I like to cook and that does not help either..
m

[FloridaBlues]

12. Yes I understand how you feel. Trying to get myself out of this mood as well.

Sluggish is a good word for it. Short tempered also has entered my mind space sometimes.

[smirkymonkey]

20. Sometimes, I am even too lazy to eat.

How sad is that? I don't really have any snack food around, so I have to make a little effort - not much - to cobble together a meal. There are days when I don't even feel like doing that.

[OhNo-Really]

14. I've used a 1/2 tank of gas since 2/28!

If your not feeling a bit anxious and or depressed, both of which use more energy, than you are not listening.

So it’s ok to say depressed (I avoid the word, too) because out of nowhere all of our lives have been suppressed!

We are not wired for this new Limited lifestyle.

If you’re feeling off balance, you are self-aware. And being self-aware is a good thing.

Having a potential Death Warrant lurking 24/7 everywhere is energy draining!

So, I had to dig deeply and create a new way to feel better.

I couldn’t sleep, was a space cadet (forgetting to drink the coffee I made, leaving stove burner on, big ETC). My blood pressure was all over the place & for the month of June my bpm increased daily for 21 days. I became concerned & made changes. They have worked so far.

1. No TV 📺. Done

2. No food after 7PM & in bed no later than 9PM. I read free ebooks (free LIBBY App if you have a library card number/login. awesome!)

3. On my feet doing something for 50% of my day with a day of rest every 3 days if needed. Gardening, cooking, cleaning, dishes, go outside & walk while chatting w/friends, art and I set up an iPad stand so I can read free ebooks on the LIBBY App while “getting my steps in”

4. Spend 1-2 hours/day online fighting the election War of Words mostly on Twitter. GOTV.

5. Silence. Every sensory stimuli is a stressor. We can control some. Some silent time each morning & evening helps relieve some stress for me.

6. No processed foods. Limited salt

7. Stay hydrated. Still needs improving 😞 I forget to drink.

So sleeping better, heart issues resolved, feeling better. Home is mostly in good order, gotta rebel a little.

To each his own. I’m too rebellious to let these scourges bring me down

Some days I just meander mindlessly through the day. A little vacate tune ☺️

I hope you find your way to a better place.

These are very trying times for everyone.

✨✨❤️✨✨

Anyway. If you’re over 70 it’s ok to slow down.

Permission granted. Hydrate

[smirkymonkey]

22. Thank you!

I am well under 70 and should have much more energy than this. It's strange. There are some nights that I don't sleep at all and then there are days/nights where I feel like I can't stay awake.

I definitely stay hydrated. I am always very thirsty and I mostly drink cold brewed rose iced tea - either caffeinated rose white tea or holy basil rose herbal tea and sometimes some apple cider, and of course water. I am one of those people who cannot go for more than 15 minutes without drinking something. I am constantly thirsty.

The food thing is all over the place. Sometimes I am really hungry and other days I don't eat at all. I am kind of obsessed with information, so I am a bit of an internet addict. I'm trying to spend more time focusing on my books, but the internet addiction is a hard one to break.

I think I will be ok. I see (now Zoom) a therapist once a month. Like I said, I don't feel terribly down or depressed, just very complacent and sluggish. I think it would do me good to get out and walk once the weather cools down. I can't wait for fall. I love the cool weather!

[OhNo-Really]

36. Circadian Rhythm

May I gently nudge you to keep to a schedule.

I know up is down these days, but nature has a schedule. It took me a couple of weeks but now I sleep at least six- 8 hrs a night.

Maybe talk to your counselor. Nurture your natural rhythms and try to self-regulate. You will feel better in a couple of weeks unless it’s a health issue that needs to be addressed.

Nothing lasts forever. This too will pass.

Do we arrive at the next phase our healthiest best or deteriorated from neglect and/or over indulged?

We have some control. To think otherwise would be too ...... um depressing.

What would your Healthy scheduled Daily time look like? Your week?

Food for thought.

Shanti

[smirkymonkey]

40. Thank you! I would love to sleep for 6-8 hours a night.

I have started to take melatonin and other vitamins (B complex, D, Calcium, Mag, Zinc, Fish Oil, etc.). Part of my problem with sleep is that I was having myoclonic jerks when I would try to fall asleep and then it would kind of scare me into staying awake.

The vitamins have really helped since I had a suspicion that it was a nervous system issue and I probably needed supplements since I wasn't really eating as much or as varied a diet as I was when I was working.

I also think more physical activity would be helpful, which I plan to get once the weather cools down. I really dislike the heat, so that has kept me inside. I live right down by the river in Boston so there is a lovely Esplanade to walk along for miles and I am looking forward to getting some activity. I have just been apartment bound because of the AC.

Again, thank you for your kind words of encourgaement. Fortunately, I think I am otherwise healthy. Wishing you all the best!

[vapor2]

15. Most def

I had foot surgery in Jan so have been housebound since. Started by bikram yoga about 6 weeks ago and it helps. My dr would likely frown upon this but yoga tells me where my body is and my focus. Masks are worn until we are on our mats. Wanted to go overseas this spring but the pandemic dictated otherwise. I am anxious about much but hoping this monster will soon have a seizure or heart attack. Emotions are like a roller coaster so you are surely not alone. Be safe and take care and find something you love to do.

[smirkymonkey]

38. I'm sorry to hear about your surgery, vapor.

I'm glad that yoga is helping you. A friend of mine gave me a subscription to Yoga magazine, so maybe I should try doing that since I am housebound. It sounds like it would be very helpful for both mind and body.

By "monster" I am assuming you mean Trump! I think we all agree and I wake up every day hoping to hear that he is gone for good!

Keep taking good care of yourself! We all need to be in the best shape we can be so that we can vote in November!

[Dem2theMax]

28. To the point where I've gained 6 pounds.

Every time I think about taking a walk, I end up sitting in a chair in front of the TV.

Some mornings I wake up and it feels like Groundhog Day, and I don't even want to get out of bed.

Other days, it doesn't seem to bother me so much.

The 'Groundhog' days are the bad days. That's when it hits me we could be doing this for at least another year. I'm going to have to get up and go outside and walk at some point!

[redwitch]

30. Only 6? Slacker!

. I am eating way too much junk food!

[Dem2theMax]

32. I lost six first. I had COVID-19 in March. And I kept those six pounds off until the last month!

And all of a sudden it's roaring back! That's not good. Too much dessert. Too much chocolate.
Who knew there was such a thing?

[redwitch]

34. Chocolate is my ultimate comfort food.

No such thing as too much!

[redwitch]

35. P.S. you're not a slacker.

You are a survivor! I’m glad.

[OhNo-Really]

37. 👆👆👆👆. Yes you are!

[Dem2theMax]

39. We are all survivors!

I just have to motivate myself to go out and walk so I can justify all this chocolate!

(And so my pants will fit if I ever put them back on. Sweatpants rule! Unfortunately, they also lie. They keep telling me I haven't gained weight.)

[smirkymonkey]

41. Thinking that this could go on much longer is the depressing thing.

And the only reason is that we have so many idiots in this country who refuse to follow protocol. We could have been like other countries who are now pretty much back to normal, but we will be going through this for the rest of 2020 at least.

I'm getting very restless and I want to go out and walk and be active. The only thing stopping me is the heat. Fortunately, it is starting to cool off a bit and I plan to go out tomorrow for a bit. I definitely know what you mean about the "Groundhog Days". I try to keep in touch with people via phone, email, text (I really hate text though) and I still wfh during the day M-F, so I am not completely isolated. I just feel like I am wasting so much time doing nothing except being online, reading, watching movies/videos and sleeping.

Thanks for your input!

[marlakay]

44. I feel the same way

What I have done since I am retired is make a schedule to do things certain days of the week and it seems to help. Like Tuesday is laundry day. I could do it anytime but I wait till then. Funny I find myself on Tuesday excited to do it.

Maybe I am going bonkers. I signed up for online senior classes in the fall and doing once a month enneagram seminars on zoom.

Then there's my bookclub. Its been weird watching the younger leader crash down, I really thought she was on top of her life, but having her college daughter at home has really thrown her. Her daughter goes to a fancy music school back east for playing the cello. She has been in a boarding school for years because of it.

That said I watch way too much tv and movies. And I think I refresh this site over and over and over hoping to see something good happen.

[smirkymonkey]

45. I feel a lot of guilt for not being productive, but then again I think maybe we all need this time

just to BE. Just to exist and not be productive and busy. Just reflect and veg out and do whatever the hell it is we feel like doing. Why are we placing such value judgments on doing the things that we enjoy doing instead of doing the things that we think will impress other people?

Sometimes, I wonder who I am living my life for. I know that I would feel better if I got out of my apartment and got some exercise, but not in the heat. I will wait for cooler weather. For now, I will enjoy the quiet time and the AC and make the most of my solitude. I actually kind of enjoy it, since I am a natural introvert and it gives me an excuse to beg off social invites for now.

And if you enjoy watching TV and movies, that's fine for now. We won't always have this luxury of time. And, like you, I really hope we will hear some good news one of these days. This can not go on much longer.

[marlakay]

49. Both of my daughters 38 & 41

Are busy and into exercise and eating right and keep encouraging me. I think they are the ones I push myself a bit when I veg out.

But I don't feel guilty, I pace in the small house we have on the hot days inside.

[sarge43]

50. You are not alone.

I do just enough to keep the spousal unit and birds fed. Clean just enough to keep the EPA at bay. Otherwise, like you watch movies, read and prowl around the net. Can't even work up enough energy to fire back at some MAGAoid. Further, now I dread even making the weekly supply run. Cancelled a couple of routine medical appointments. Just all up "Meh".

Right now all I'm looking forward to is voting 3 Nov.

[smirkymonkey]

57. I feel like we are kind of living in limbo.

Like nothing can move forward until Trump is out of office and this pandemic is over. I know that's just a state of mind, but sometimes I just feel like I want to be sedated until it's all over and wake up when we can look forward to the future again. Right now, I just feel like I am in this constant state of impending doom.

[ailsagirl]

63. That's the perfect word for it: LIMBO

It's difficult for a number of reasons but mostly the uncertainty gets to me. Where will we be in a year? Two years?

Perhaps I don't really want to know.

And on top of everything else, the November election has me deeply disturbed!!

Hang in there, smirkymonkey, and everyone else.

[smirkymonkey]

64. It's the not knowing how this is going to turn out that is so anxiety provoking.

I feel like we are a nation being held hostage by a psychotic gunman, and we don't know if we are going to be rescued, set free or if he's just going to kill us all in a hail of bullets (metaphorically). The most difficult thing to deal with is the lack of control we all feel like we have. There seems to be nothing we can legally do to stop this madman.

Even if we come out of this intact, I think we are going to be a nation with a collective case of PTSD. It has been nothing but a head f**k since day one.

[ailsagirl]

65. It sure has!!

[Fla Dem]

51. Yes, and I attribute it to the attitude of "I can do it tomorrow."

I have a list of things I want to do around the house. The 1st couple of months I was really good at getting them done. At the time we weren't sure how long this quarantine would last, so it was get things done while you have the time. But then it became apparent we'll be quarantined until at least after the first of next year and it became a lot easier to put things off. Not major things, justs little tasks that would probably take a day or two, like clean out the garage, go through the closets and get rid of clothes not worn for a year or more. Then there are the bigger projects; purging all the paper files and getting important papers filed and clearly labeled. Going through years of photographs and scanning the really important family photos to an external hard drive for posterity, getting rid of unimportant ones. I rather do it than have family have the task at a later date. Just some of the things on my list. But as I say, "I can always do it tomorrow."

[smirkymonkey]

58. Yes, there is always tomorrow, or the weekend, or next week.

Every once in a while I will feel a little motivation and get everything taken care of, but I seem to go right back into a slump again.

I think we just need a fairly long stretch of some good news for once. Trump world is just so depressing and demotivating. I know I should be more positive, but there are some days when I just feel despondent. I just want him to go away.

[Generic Brad]

52. I'm more exhausted on weekends

I feel anxious and can only sleep around five hours on weekdays. So I roll out of bed around 5:30 AM and immediately start working with only a 30 minute lunch break. And I go non-stop until 5:00 PM. Then I have been on committees at work and in the community for causes near to my heart and that takes up some of my free time (we meet by Zoom). And then I am on my condo board and have meetings and work to do with that.

My wife and I run errands and clean all day Saturday. By the time Sunday rolls around I am spent and have no energy to do anything other than nap and doze. I am super unmotivated on Sundays.

[smirkymonkey]

59. You sound pretty productive during the week though!

I also wfh during the week, but other than that, I don't seem to do very much that is productive other than a slight bit of cleaning. I also nap a lot on the weekends and sometimes, I will even take a nap after the workday is through for an hour or two, which usually sets me up for a really screwed up sleep cycle for the next few nights.

Anyway, I have a feeling I would be a lot more motivated if I could know for sure that Trump and his swamp things would be OUT in November. I can't deal with the possibility that we might have to endure another four years of this. I really can't. It makes me feel hopeless.

[demmiblue]

53. Depression takes many forms.

Many are feeling much the same way, and I consider it to be low/mid-level depression.

[smirkymonkey]

60. I think you are probably right.

I see a therapist about once every six weeks for maintenence therapy since I haven't really been depressed in a while, but I think a lot of us are feeling this way, and it makes sense under the current circumstances.

[samnsara]

54. yep..every day is MEH...

[smirkymonkey]

62. Hang in there, samnsara!

Nothing stays the same forever. I just hope things get better and not worse. But even if things do get worse, it might be enough to motivate us into taking our resistance to another level.

Trump knows exactly what he is doing. He is wearing us down by his constant chaos and assault on our democracy. He wants us to be despairing and unmotivated. One of these days he will go too far and the dam is going to break. There has to be an end for him. This cannot hold for much longer.

[Laffy Kat]

55. Yes! I'm having the worse time.

I drag-ass to work every day, where I do my best because I love the patients, but then I get home and collapse. The kitchen stays clean and my pets are well-cared-for, but that is about it. I probably make dinner twice a week, once on the weekend and once during the week. I was able to go to the grocery store today and I will take the doggos to the park when it gets cooler later on and that will wear me out. What is it? Why is this happening?

[smirkymonkey]

61. I've been thinking about it and I think a lot of it is just the despair we feel due this constant

Trump madness and erosion of our rights and democracy. It seems like every time we have a small victory, he turns around and delivers a few more devastating blows and it's really hard to keep your spirits up under this constant barrage of lawlessness and insanity.

I sometimes feel like I can't wait until November. It just feels like too long of a slog to the election. And the pandemic is depriving many of us of the things that used to bring us happiness as well. I was actually feeling pretty ok with it for a while, but now it's starting to wear on me, and I am sure others are feeling the same way.

[Luciferous]

66. Yes, but for the past month I have been trying to stick to a routine and

try to cut myself some slack when I just want a lazy day.

[Totally Tunsie]

67. Yup, which is why it took me three days to answer this!

Lazy as a sloth these days!