Sooner or later, malaise affects most of us. For some, it’s chronic and requires professional help. For others, life events, stress and other temporary events bring about these feelings for a transitory period. However, in 2023 burnout is becoming the new normal. In fact, 70% of people across the globe dealt with burnout in 2022.
As stress and exhaustion continue to rise, people are struggling to find inspiration and motivation for not just work, but life in general. In a culture plagued by burnout, it’s more important than ever to find peace and effective methods of rejuvenation.
Today, HJG Staffing is exploring 4 different methods to restore and create motivation, even when it feels impossible.
*If you are struggling with depression or mental health related issues, please know you are not alone. Visit the links at the end of this bog for further resources.
- Take the Pressure Off
Often, we get so caught up in our thoughts that it becomes debilitating. While thinking and introspection can be beneficial, there is a fine line between contemplation and spiraling into chaos. While it’s easier said than done, try taking the pressure off your mind.
Instead of living as your thoughts, try being an observer. Alexandra, a chef, started observing her thoughts after reading about mindfulness. “I was going into the restaurant 6 nights a week. When I got home, I was pressuring myself to clean more, read, stretch, on and on. I was too tired to do any of that, so I felt like a failure.”
Alexandra, like many people, struggled with feelings of guilt for not meeting a daily quota invented by her mind. And while it’s perfectly normal and healthy to have goals and to desire spending time on hobbies, relationships and other non-work activities, adding more mental pressure to accomplish everything is not productive.
While it’s easier said than done, try giving yourself the mental space to simply exist. Check in with your body and mind. It can even be helpful to ask yourself, “What do I need in this moment?”
“Eventually, I realized that pressuring myself to be everything and do everything was only making everything harder. I still have goals and desires, but I try to talk back to my inner critic in a productive way.”
- Change the Vibe:
When we’re stuck, especially in a mental bind, it can be quite difficult to see beyond the problem. A simple phrase to keep in mind when times feel uncomfortable is: “change the vibe.” This can mean various things. It can be as easy as physically leaving the room, even if that means going into the room next door. It can mean stretching, changing the music, turning the lights off, turning the lights on, or anything that disrupts your current unfavored state.
Languishing is difficult; how do we magically summon inspiration and motivation from an empty well? There’s no instant fix, but getting out of your head and into the present can require a shift of physical mood.
“Nowadays, I catch myself zoning out, thinking about how tired and blah I feel,” says Jonah, an accountant. “The nice thing about being aware of my thoughts is knowing when to get up and interrupt the thoughts with something else. I usually step out on my balcony with my headphones before I spiral.”
- Talk it Out:
According to Indeed, “Talk therapy can help children, teenagers and adults by reducing symptoms of certain conditions, the effect of encountering triggers and emotional distress caused by traumatic events. It can also help patients establish healthy habits, improve relationships between people and create healthy coping mechanisms for present and future circumstances.”
While therapy treatment is more common than ever before, for various reasons, it is unfortunately not an option for everyone. If professional therapy is an option for you, consider trying it! It can feel nerve-wracking and scary but has the ability to provide immense healing and growth.
Aside from professional assistance, talking with trusted loved ones, teachers, mentors, caretakers and colleagues can help as well. There are also free online communities, including support groups.
- Accept Your Best:
It’s important to remember that doing your best looks different every day. Energy levels and mood depend upon many combined elements. Life is unpredictable, so expecting the exact same performance or productivity level from yourself each day is unrealistic.
Shifting your perspective and inner talk from “I didn’t do enough; I need to work harder” to “I did what I was capable of today and that is my best effort” can be life changing. We often expect perfection from ourselves and can be our own toughest critic. Instead of being too hard on yourself, try to give yourself the acceptance and grace you would extend to a loved one.
To put it simply, life can be exhausting and scary. None of us make it out unscathed, but this doesn’t mean it’s all bad. There are many big and simple joys interwoven within the chaos. If you’re struggling to find motivation and inspiration, you’re not alone. Burnout is globally prevalent, which means it’s time to step back and reevaluate. While there’s much out of our control, making the best of what is in our control is more imperative than ever.
Building new habits, including how we talk to ourselves takes time. There is no magic solution to kickstarting motivation, but being kinder to our minds is a good place to start.
If you are struggling with mental health related issues, please visit this link for more resources:
https://www.oprah.com/omagazine/free-online-resources-for-mental-illness
