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(Seriouse) what are the best ways to find motivation to do things, while dealing with depression? (lemmy.fmhy.ml)

submitted 1 year ago by QuietStorm@lemmy.fmhy.ml to c/asklemmy@lemmy.ml

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Ive had a hard life that i dont really want to talk about especcialy online, so ive be feel depressed an unmotivated for a bit now. i heard exercising helps but is that true where do you even get motivation to start working out? i do bascily the same things everyday and i just want to do more in my life because its getting bland-er... also if you want to share a short life story go ahead, i feel im more in the idea department/creative department but yet i do nothing and my head i cloaded with life. i feel like i should put more here but ill just leave it here.

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[–] jbrains@sh.itjust.works 6 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago)

I don't think you can. This is part of depression: never feeling motivated to do things. My life improved when I began to think like this, because I stopped wasting energy worrying about how to find motivation and how terrible it is that I don't want to do things.

Instead, I followed a few simple rules that seemed to help:

If I didn't want to do anything, I tried doing stupid administrative work that required no creativity. Cleaning the house. Scanning receipts. Anything that would suck, but at least feel easy to do.
If I had the impulse to do anything, I did it. Even if it wasn't important. Even if it meant not doing something else important. I just did it. For me, that was often reading, but sometimes it was something creative.
If I felt good, I didn't have to do any kind do work. I sometimes just enjoyed feeling good for a few minutes or an hour or whatever.

This way, I felt less guilty for feeling good and not working and I felt less guilty for wanting to do something that wasn't important. Gradually, I felt better about my situation. Motivation to do some creative work eventually followed.

I don't know how well this fits your situation, but maybe something in here could help you.

Good luck.