Maintaining Motivation
Struggling to stay motivated? You’re not alone!
Most of us have trouble sticking with healthy habits at times. When there’s less structure in our lives, or we are facing additional stress and anxiety due to isolation, financial worries, or family/personal health concerns, it can be hard to maintain motivation. Just like every other challenging time, this time shall also pass.
Below is a list of tips to help you achieve your personal best and stay motivated, and how to cope and thrive during these challenging times:
- Start your day with a plan and a schedule: It is important to recognise that some periods are harder than others and individual productivity won’t always be at its peak. So, setting daily goals with a list of things you would like to achieve in a day is likely to increase accountability and give you a visual reminder to work on achieving the tasks you have set on your plan.
- Squeeze in shorter bouts of activity. By planning when you will work and when you will relax can help you to manage a healthy work-life balance at home. Exercise doesn’t have to be long or for hours. Short bouts of exercise are equally beneficial, and often serve as motivation to exercise more. If you have a busy day, schedule in two ten or fifteen-minute workouts. Or make it a habit to do a round of push-ups in between online meetings. Notice how good exercise makes you feel. You’re much more likely to exercise regularly when you take a moment afterwards to focus on how good you feel.
- Think of innovative ways to stay connected socially: Why not schedule virtual get-togethers with your friends? Ideas like Friday night drinks, Netflix parties, virtual trivia nights or even group dinner parties, where you all decide on a theme, share recipes and eat together. You could also make a regular date to chat on the phone while each of you walks around your neighbourhood.
- Be kind to yourself: Give yourself small rewards when you accomplish a task or goal. Having something to look forward to makes it easier to stick to your plans and maintain motivation. You may find that some days you are highly motivated and get through more tasks than you had planned, but other days you have no focus at all. It’s okay, we all have ups and downs, and we all need to listen to ourselves.
- Looking after your mental health: If you are feeling down, anxious, or depressed more than occasionally, this can interfere with your motivation and general health and wellbeing. Ensure that you are getting enough sleep and prioritising your mental health. If the feelings continue to persist, it’s okay to reach out for support.
Through these tough times, it can be hard to stay motivated, just remind yourself that this time will eventually pass, set realistic goals for yourself and take the time to look after yourself.
Remember it’s good to reach out for support. If you are going through difficulties and need to find your inner strength, why not give us a call today? Our team of highly skilled and well-experienced Psychologists are here to help.
Our Blog Author
This post was written by Aanchal Sood, Senior Psychologist and Supervisor at Your Mind Matters. Aanchal works with adolescents, adults and couples on anxiety and mood disorders, grief and loss, trauma, adjustment and relationship difficulties, and is fluent in Hindi and Punjabi. Meet our team.