How to Deal with Unmotivation: What to do When you Feel Like Doing Nothing

Everyone reading this post right now has experienced this at least a couple times in their life: dealing with the dilemma of feeling unmotivated. At times, you just feel like spacing out and doing nothing, despite having important tasks ahead of you. 

In my experience in high school, I had the natural gift of being productive. Not once did I ever procrastinate, I ticked off everything I had to do the given day, and I always gave 100% in whatever I did in my life. However, an unprecedented brick wall came my way: burn-out. This is how living an overly productive life can at times lead you to burning-out faster. I hit an all time low and for the first time in my life, I felt like doing absolutely nothing. 

First of all let yourself rest, remove any pressure to be BE or DO anything. Just exist. Stop putting any expectations on yourself. Let your body and mind rest and take time to rejuvenate. Isn’t it ironic? All you have to do is do nothing. Give your body time to heal itself. 

Second, shift your perspective. People often underestimate the power of imagination. Sometimes, when we hit an all time low, we’ve been focusing on the wrong things that are difficult to deal with. For example, when you focus on what is hard or painful, you feel like giving up just because of how challenging it is. Therefore, train yourself to shift perspectives. 

For example, if you have to finish your physics exam, typically, people think about how unbearable it will be. But people at times fail to understand that having a negative perspective will not make anything easier. Think about the amazing dinner you will have with your friends after midterms are over or think about how this is a chance to boost your GPA if you put the time and effort in. Imagine the students in Africa who would die to have a chance to get a full education. Think about how lucky and privileged you are to receive an education. Shifting your perspective in this way will give you no choice but your body to move along with the flow. 

Last, start with baby steps. If you have laid in your bed doing absolutely nothing the last couple of days. Start with hygiene: take a nice bath, put perfume on, pick out new clothes for yourself, and make yourself feel more confident overall. Often times what I do is visit the barber shop to restyle my hair so I am back to a fresh start. 

Most importantly, always remember that it is normal to feel down at times and that life goes on in cycles and there will always be days when we feel more down than other days.