12 Steps To Creating Motivation When Depressed!
Obviously, actively doing anything doesnât sound so desirable when feeling depressed, let alone confronting our depressive urges head-on. While itâs important to give depressive symptoms their attention and get to understand and learn about whatâs underlying the depressive episode, the concept of âmind over matterâ can help create motivation when depressed. I have seen evidence with many people that creating a change in mindset with small, manageable, behavioral steps can change a whole experience of depression. For some itâs brought their symptoms entirely into remission. This doesnât replace taking the steps to learn more about whatâs causing the episodes, but these steps can help us move on with our lives while we continue to work on the underlying issues.
1) Opposite Action â In Dialectical-Behavioral Therapy (an offshoot of Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy), Opposite Action is the idea of forcing yourself to do something that you know is good for you, in order to prevent the reinforcement of a bad habit. For example, if you want to stay on the couch and watch tv all day, when realizing this only gives in to depression, opposite action would say to get up and go out, knowing it would be a healthier behavior. Itâs very much a âjust to the opposite of your unhealthy urgeâ technique.  In CBT, the principle is that your behaviors can create positive changes in your emotions.
2) Set an Alarm â This isnât only for getting out of bed. The alarm can be for anything that marks a symptom of depression. You might set an alarm to wake yourself up at a certain time to make sure you get out of bed in the morning; or you might set an alarm to signal a meal time if youâre missing meals, or signal time to do laundry, or run a particular set of errands, and so on. The alarm serves as a cue to draw your attention to a target area where you want to become more active in change.
3) Make Your Bed â Getting out of bed can be very tough with depression. The first step to take is to sit up on the bed, put your feet on the floor, and visualize leaving all of your troubles and thoughts behind you in the bed. Then, get up and nicely make your bed, leaving the troubles behind for the day. Making the bed is essential in this process, as it signals to your brain that there isnât an option to get back in the bed for the day. As you make your bed, it can also be helpful to imagine the troubles youâre left behind dissipating as the covers are pulled up.
4) Wash Up â The more routine-setting steps youâre able to add on after you make your bed, the better. Try washing your face and brushing your teeth to help wake you up. With these kind of steps youâre training your brain to understand that youâre getting ready for âsomething,â rather than simply a day laying around.
5) Get Dressed â This is a crucial step in separating from the bed to the day. Sitting around in pajamas on the couch is still possible, even if you escape the bedroom. Getting dressed decreases the urge to lounge, because again youâre reinforcing in your brain that youâre getting ready for something.
6) Go Outside â This can be one of the toughest steps for people who struggle with depression â actually leaving the house. One of the problems with this step is that people are easily held back by not having a place to go. âOkay, I can go outsideâŠ..but then what?â So for this step, the idea is to not have a place to go. The goal is going outside, not the particular place you go once youâre outside. Go outside, close the door behind you, and do whatever comes to mind â a walk around the block, down the street, pacing in front of your house, getting in your car and driving on an errand, and so on. It can be anything or nothing at all, but the goal is to spend at least ten minutes outside before going back in.
7) Choose One Exercise â Getting your body moving is a good way to start feeling better. Choose an exercise that works for you: walking, running, swimming, jump-roping, etc. Whatever you choose to do, make it a point to do it every day when you go outside. And if itâs an indoor exercise (like a treadmill), do it before you go outside.
8) Make a List of Activities â Brainstorm activities that youâd enjoy doing. Include things to do at home and out with people. Try to generate a list of things that includes others and that gives you some time to yourself. The activities can be a mix of productive (e.g. work-related) activities, and hobbies, and self-care.
9) Schedule Activities â Schedule the activities throughout the week. Try to plan out either one or two weeks ahead of time and actually write the activities into your calendar with specific days and times. Spread them out as much as possible and make sure to stick to the schedule.
10) Daily Necessity Schedule  â This schedule is if youâre having trouble getting motivated to do your daily activities â such as eating, cooking, showering, or other household chores. For this, youâre creating a daily home schedule. Choose the specific times youâre going to do each activity every day. It can be as specific as you feel you need: time to get dressed, brush your teeth, start cooking, eating, showering, turning off the tv before bed, and so on. This is to help you get your daily necessities actually functioning on a daily basis.
11) See Family and Friends â This one is more about the people than the activity. Being around other people is often helpful for mood improvement. Schedule specific dates and times with friends and family, outside of the house. The more you can remove yourself from the environment of depression (usually the home and bedroom), the better chance of overcoming it.  Â
12) Psychotherapy â Itâs important to keep in mind that thedesire to stay inside and and lay around isnât what causes depression â it is a symptom of depression. Psychotherapy remains a necessary step throughout the process of dealing with depression in order to prevent further episodes, reduce severity, and hopefully be rid of depression altogether. Even if we can resolve some of the motivational issues through pushing ourselves to take behavioral steps, the internal issues that are causing the depression still need to be addressed. Otherwise, when our motivation drops, the depression may return if we donât have a handle on the underlying issues.
Whatâs most important to keep in mind is that youâre not going to feel like doing anything discussed above. If youâre going to wait to âfeel like itâ, then it may not happen. Using opposite action will be the necessary first step to conquering depression â knowing in your mind that it will be good for you to take the steps to move forward, and just doing it. By also engaging in psychotherapy, youâre still able to give appropriate attention to whatâs happening inside of you, including if medication therapy may (or may not) also be helpful. You do have the power to increase your motivation and to break out of depression. It may take some effort, but the opportunity is there for you to reclaim your life.
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