Democratic Underground Latest Greatest Lobby Journals Search Options Help Login
Google

motivation

Printer-friendly format Printer-friendly format
Printer-friendly format Email this thread to a friend
Printer-friendly format Bookmark this thread
Home » Discuss » DU Groups » Health & Disability » Mental Health Support Group Donate to DU
 
mzteris Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Mon Oct-01-07 09:01 AM
Original message
motivation
Even though I'm not "as depressed" anymore - I'm still having great difficulty with "getting motivated" to DO anything.

There's so much needs to be done - and I look around and just do nothing. Or little of nothing. A bit here and there - enough to maintain function - but that's about it.

Oh I have a flurry of activity once in a great while but it doesn't last and often left unfinished.

I WANT to do things. It just feels like - too much. or too hard. Too not worth it. Too boring. Too who-the-f-really cares? to HOW do I do this? How do I do it right? Am I capable? Just everything - kind of thing, you know?

I've tried the one project at a time. One thing at a time. 15 minutes.

Nothing really works.
Refresh | 0 Recommendations Printer Friendly | Permalink | Reply | Top
Droopy Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Mon Oct-01-07 12:33 PM
Response to Original message
1. I've been feeling a little like that as well for a while
One thing that has helped me recently is starting a new hobby. I'm starting to get into aquariums. It's very interesting and has taken my mind off of the minor case of the blahs that I've been having. I spent half as much time on the computer last weekend than I usually do and I was actually getting out and doing things. While my computer has been a source of entertainment for me I think it was contributing to me feeling unmotivated. I don't know why that is, but starting something new in my life is really helping.
Printer Friendly | Permalink | Reply | Top
 
mzteris Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Mon Oct-01-07 12:39 PM
Response to Reply #1
2. true - the computer is a real crutch for me
and an OCD thing, too, I think.

I'm interviewing for a job tomorrow. Maybe that'll help.

I just feel so stuck!
Printer Friendly | Permalink | Reply | Top
 
Lorien Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Mon Oct-01-07 11:05 PM
Response to Original message
3. I've been feeling the same way
I think I'm just so lonely that I'm restless, and the restlessness somehow leads to my not being able to focus on anything. Either that, or I'm much more depressed than I wish to believe I am. I don't enjoy much of anything. Like you, I WANT to do things-there's so much I've been wanting to do for years now and the years just slip on by with those things still undone. I truly wish I had the answer for you. The best I can offer is exercise: I find that if I really get a good workout in every day the next day is easier. Of course that requires motivation...
Printer Friendly | Permalink | Reply | Top
 
InkAddict Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Tue Oct-02-07 10:46 AM
Response to Original message
4. Know what, I have the same inertia sometimes.
I tried the exercise approach the other day. Hate running, and I haven't ridden the bike in a long time and remembered what a great sense of freedom there was in the movement so I made an executive decision to spend the funds to get the old bike rehabed with a new tire, a helmet, and some riding gloves. Took it for a spin the other day, but instead of that "free" feeling, all i felt was the discomfort, in a Prep-H kind of way, from hitting the bumps. Oh well, I was much younger then. It was a short ride. (I see an elderly couple gently riding around every day, and that should be an inspiration to me-ahhh more shame to kick out of my life!)

Is there something such as a new life situation to which you are adjusting or are you seeking some empathetic "this too shall pass-let's...." type of relief? Are you sure you're not passive-aggressively over-acting out that good coping "control over yourself." You are allowed, you know, to have emotions and feel sadness, fear, so what about joy?

When the budget no longer allows for one's favorite recreations or when every "here's what I'd like to do; here's what's right for me to do" no longer matches, i.e., I'd like to bake some cookies, but that needs ingredients for which I did not budget; what am I willing to sacrifice to buy the ingredients and if I turn on the oven it will heat up the house and the A/C will unnecessarily go on costing me even more.

Also, I like to garden and I used to have a nice yard with good dirt--now I have a postage-size cement patio with a single rock-hard flower bed that I nicely planted with perenniels to save future dollars in plants that need to be replaced every year) and it takes a whopping 10 minutes to maintain.

I'd like to paint some rooms in the apartment just to eliminate that "white" feeling, but that would involve expenses, hard-to-agree-on choices, it's not my walls, and I'd need to return them to white before I leave, which could be on any given day since the cursed lightening bolt of outsourcing/merging/relocation/downsizing seems to find this family regularly and there's little to fall back on now and I'd need to either live in a cave or give up eating to save the recommended "rainy day fund." As far as I'm concerned, all days will tend to remain rainy for the rest of my life now that BushCo has declared "Mission Accomplished" in creating the situations that demolished Plan A, Plan B, Plan C ...to rescue my little life's liberty and happiness.

I'm thankful for my PT job in the new city in which I live (4 hours M-F) since my field has been largely exported (Supposely because they're younger, smarter, and lower-maintenance), and I haven't been at it here long enough to do anything meaningful toward improving my resume. Not that the resume is bad, but I'm just not sure those kind of doors open to my age group anymore. Grandmas are unpaid laborers of love, but I'm not one of those yet either.

Meanwhile, the routine things go undone--they'll just be there again/still tomorrow and I spend the hours checking the Internet for news for something...anything that gives me hope that I'm either not living my worst nightmare or that TPTB will just let up and leave our little family alone for a while so we can accomplish at least a single dream without their constant policies of obstruction and WMD's on our finances. If I actually did things, it would cost lots more than the cost of my Internet connection).

Meds seem like such an artificial way of improving one's outlook. Could improving one's outlook lead to frivolous actions that I would likely be made to feel regretful for having done in the future--i.e., sorry, you don't qualify--why the heck did you do that--type of thing.

By the grace of God, or through being aware of what's going on, doesn't always mean one can control things in a timely fashion toward a positive outcome--(bad things happen to good people, and I know that it's happened to a whole lot of good people). All too often this relies on another party who is all too often just not on the same page. I've done my best, but it wasn't enough to save some of the temporal things I loved, and at this time of year I'm reminded of Frost's poem:

Nature's first green is gold,
Her hardest hue to hold.
Her early leaf's a flower;
But only so an hour.
Then leaf subsides to leaf.
So Eden sank to grief,
So dawn goes down to day.
Nothing gold can stay.

However, I'm closer now than ever to the kids in miles and still have them in my life, and we're all pretty healthy -- and that's what's really important, whether or not I bake cookies, iron shirts, paint some one else's walls, or plant flowers in MY yard. Things won't be the same; they may not even be better, but I'm going to fight to CHERISH what good remains and endures and when I think about it long enough, it's plenty.

Now, I gotta go do something productive and useful - Cripe, even self-talk takes time. :hug:

Printer Friendly | Permalink | Reply | Top
 
hedgehog Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Tue Oct-02-07 12:19 PM
Response to Original message
5. WHen I look around at all the things that didn't get done when I was depressed,
I don't know where to start. I guess you just have to take one bite at a time.
Printer Friendly | Permalink | Reply | Top
 
Jaap Donating Member (27 posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Sat Oct-06-07 03:55 AM
Response to Original message
6. The good part is..
you're not really depressed (as you wrote). You're describing a latent depression - You function, but that's about it.

It's difficult because you know when you go out to take a walk or something you'll feel better when you return - but just taking the walk is too much..

Sometimes buying a present for yourself helps or a short (3 day) holiday. Keeping a journal with (simple, small) positive things you do (once a week is totally okay). The best thing to do is not to blame yourself, but that is also the hardest part.

Good luck!
Printer Friendly | Permalink | Reply | Top
 
SPKrazy Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Thu Oct-11-07 07:48 PM
Response to Original message
7. Having just finished my last grains of an SSRI to get me off my SSRI
I am feeling a little better

I've switched to a non-SSRI Wellbutrin

I don't know how well it will work, but the SSRI's just have too many side effects for a guy if you know what I mean

So bear with me as I take on life with a new med, and oh, my therapist is taking a month off because he needs to deal with the fact that his son killed himself over a year and a half ago.

I moved out of my house leaving my wife and son the first of September

There is chaos at work as always

I'm very confused about a lot of things in my life, such as what I really want to do with myself occupationally

I haven't had time to get in much exercise as I've been helping coach my 7 year old's soccer team

But I have a job
i have a roof over my head
i just ate dinner
i have friends in real life and online to talk to
i have much to be grateful for
i have my son
i have my sister and my dad living
i have someone very special to me that has helped me a lot lately

so life is not terrible

:hi:
Printer Friendly | Permalink | Reply | Top
 
DU AdBot (1000+ posts) Click to send private message to this author Click to view 
this author's profile Click to add 
this author to your buddy list Click to add 
this author to your Ignore list Thu May 02nd 2024, 03:52 PM
Response to Original message
Advertisements [?]
 Top

Home » Discuss » DU Groups » Health & Disability » Mental Health Support Group Donate to DU

Powered by DCForum+ Version 1.1 Copyright 1997-2002 DCScripts.com
Software has been extensively modified by the DU administrators


Important Notices: By participating on this discussion board, visitors agree to abide by the rules outlined on our Rules page. Messages posted on the Democratic Underground Discussion Forums are the opinions of the individuals who post them, and do not necessarily represent the opinions of Democratic Underground, LLC.

Home  |  Discussion Forums  |  Journals |  Store  |  Donate

About DU  |  Contact Us  |  Privacy Policy

Got a message for Democratic Underground? Click here to send us a message.

© 2001 - 2011 Democratic Underground, LLC