How to Stay Motivated When You Are Depressed

Ever had one of those moments where your entire existence seems to be meaningless? When the light at the end of the tunnel is nowhere to be found? If yes then you’d know how depression slowly eats you. You’d know how difficult it is to wake up every day and succumb to societal norms when your soul feels suffocated.

The most difficult thing when battling depression is to stay motivated. It takes mountains of courage to get through the day with depression but an ounce of motivation can make you feel better by a large margin. Yes, it gets difficult and yes, you’ll often feel like giving up but push yourself to stay motivated and you’ll see all your depression symptoms wither away in the passage of time.

You shouldn’t refrain from seeking medical help for your mental problems but it’s understandable if you feel shy at first. It’s important that you don’t let the symptoms get severe though, by researching on how to get motivated.

To help you battle your demons, here are some ways that can be beneficial. Simple practices to stay motivated when fighting depression:

1.       Push yourself to start the day

A little morning motivation goes a long way. When your brain is filled with deep, dark thoughts, waking up can be a big challenge every day. Don’t give up though and avoid staying in bed for long hours after waking up. Try to think of motivational quotes like ‘One step at a time’, ‘I’ve got this!’ and ‘I will win’ because they’re sure to uplift your mood.

How you start off your mornings plays an important role in how the rest of your day goes; so make sure that you get up on time, have a nice long shower, and treat yourself to a grand breakfast.

Your brain feels what it absorbs from its surroundings, so start living your life with positive thoughts and watch your depression symptoms fly away!

2.       Physical activities

You might have heard of the quote, ‘An idle man’s brain is the devil’s workshop’ and immediately associated with evil thoughts. That’s not the only con of staying idle though, because sitting and staring into nothingness will only give you more depressing thoughts.

Fill up you’re your free time with walking, jogging, or an intense workout and the positive results will immediately be visible. The endorphins released during rigorous physical activities will help you stay motivated and leave you with a much happier perspective about life.

3.       Celebrate small things

Congratulate yourself on cooking a meal. Leave notes around the house which tell you to look at the positive things in life. It doesn’t matter if you can’t complete a dozen of tasks every day; even reading a page with such conditions is an achievement to be proud of.

This will not only boost your self-esteem but also help you stay motivated.

4.       Take a break from all the tragic happenings in the world

You might be watching the news to stay informed but the world is not a pleasant place anymore. With famines, wars, and natural disasters occurring all over the planet, the news is always buzzing with sad events.

It’s great to update yourself with current affairs but feeding yourself such negative information can have the same impact on your mental health. Constantly absorbing such information can give you a hard time if you wish to stay motivated.

When you’re already going through a tough phase yourself, the last thing you want is to burden yourself with other people’s miseries. Avoid reading or watching such stuff so that your thoughts aren’t bothered with negativity.

5.       Draft a proper routine

Spend time writing down the good parts of your routine and keep adding more to it. Stick it onto your refrigerator and follow it to the T. This helps in reducing panicky situations and also gives you more time to explore new activities.

A mismanaged routine is a disaster enough for healthy people, add to it depressive thoughts and you have the perfect way of worsening your mental health. To stay motivated, make sure you craft a healthy routine so that your negative thoughts don’t get the time to simmer.

Depression is one of the most common mental illnesses which often makes its way into our bodies. Many times a depressed person doesn’t even realize that he’s not mentally healthy. It’s not anything to be ashamed though, as stigmatized for many years. You’re not alone if you have depression and you definitely can get out of it. All you need is a little bit of willpower and self-awareness. Don’t lose hope because this guide will take you through how to get motivated when you’re depressed. So sit back, grab a cup of coffee and brace yourself for a journey that heals you!