Advice and resources : Five ways to boost your motivation

Overview

We all experience times when we feel low and lack motivation.

When we’re feeling low it can be hard to motivate ourselves. We can end up in a cycle where we feel too low to do things and then low about not doing things.

Here our therapist Shannon shares five top tips to help you boost your mood.

Tip 1: Think ‘action before emotion’

When we're feeling low, we can get into a cycle of feeling down and not having the motivation to do the things you need, or would like, to do. This then makes you feel worse and even less motivated and becomes a vicious cycle.

Unfortunately, this means that waiting for the motivation to come is unlikely to work as the cycle continues.

The idea of ‘action before motivation’ is that motivation comes once you start doing something. For example, have you ever found that you really didn’t want to go out and see your friends but once there you enjoyed yourself?

Once you make a start, you may find you want to carry on and this helps lift your mood.

Tip 2 - Try the 5 minute rule

If you’re putting something off, whether that be getting up and having a shower, cleaning the kitchen, or going out for a walk – say to yourself “I’m going to give this a go for 5 minutes” to help make the task feel more manageable. The first few minutes are always the hardest but once you’ve started, you’ll feel much better and find you have more energy to keep going.

Tip 3: Spend time with others

If you tend to isolate yourself when you're feeling low, socialising can feel like the last thing you'd want to do. Spending time or even just talking with others can be a great wellbeing boost. Reach out to a friend, family member or colleague and have a chat, meet for a walk or a coffee.

Tip 4: Make time for you

When life feels like an endless to-do list it can get you down. If you're finding yourself spending all your time doing the things you need to do such as working and keeping on top of the housework and bills, it's important to plan some time for you to do the things you enjoy – this could be reading a book, listening to music, having a relaxing bath or cooking your favourite meal.

Tip 5: Get moving

Exercise is important not only for our physical health but for our mental health too and can help relieve stress, boost your mood and make it easier to focus.

You don't always need expensive gym memberships or equipment. Simple changes can make all the difference, like parking a little further away from work and walking in or going for a walk near where you live.

If time is an issue then the NHS has these 10 minute workouts you can do at home too. 

• View 10-minute workouts