I never seem to have the motivation or energy to achieve my goals,
even when they're clearly in my own best interests. Instead, I do
nothing, although this will obviously cause me inconvenience (or
worse) in the future.

What can I do about this problem?

---

Request for Question Clarification by justaskscott-ga on 08 Dec 2002 14:06 PST

I think we need a little background before we can successfully answer
this question.  An answer that would good for one person might be
completely wrong for someone else.  Questions that come to my mind
are:  How old are you?  In what area do you live?  What do you do for
a living?  Are you married?  In general, what is your situation in
life?

Also, how long have you had this lack of motivation?  Did something
happen to trigger it, such as a major crisis or disappointment?  Have
you had any significant illnesses or other physical symptoms shortly
before or during the time you've had this problem?  Have you talked to
a doctor or counselor about the problem?

Any information that you feel you can provide might be helpful.

---

Request for Question Clarification by journalist-ga on 08 Dec 2002 14:55 PST

Do you experience any motivation to remain unmotivated?  :)  If you
are looking for an answer from a psychology major with firsthand
experience in this area of her life from a humorous viewpoint, I will
be happy to offer my thoughts on the matter as related to personal
study and how I continue to learn how to motivate myself.

---

Clarification of Question by mstevens-ga on 08 Dec 2002 15:33 PST

I'm 24, I live in London, I work in IT. I'm single, I rent a room from
a friend. No major physical illnesses.

As far as I can remember, I've always lacked motivation, although I
can usually muddle through to some degree (although, for example, it
was a major factor in getting a poor degree result). Sometimes I'm
less able to motivate myself than others.

I've just gone from a particularly demoralizing job to one which ought
to be wonderful, if only I could manage to do a little more work...

I'm tired of sitting in my bedroom until late afternoon on days when
I'm not at work, trying to summon up the enthusiasm for complicated
things like breakfast.

Dear Msstevens:

Many times, lack of motivation or ambition is a strong signal of
depression.  Not everyone has to be treated with prescription
medicines for depression although sometimes medications have proved
successful in elevating mood.  However, I'd like to address lack of
motivation from a non-medicated perspective.

As odd as some may see it, depression strikes the young and old alike.
 Children can be diagnosed with depression as well as the elderly and
depressed people does not always feel depressed, as odd as that may
sound.  Certain factors, such as lack of motivation, signal
depression.  Meloncholy is another term that frequently pop up in
conjunction with depression.

Melocholy Nation - U.S. News and World Report
"Sam Gilman says he was a "closet depressive" for half a century, but
unlike many depressed people he was plagued mostly during his leisure
time. He endured the constant lack of energy and ambition he felt by
throwing himself into his law practice and community work."
http://www.newjerusalem.com/archive-report.html

Depression: melancholy and the infinite sadness by Michaela Baltasar
"Chronic depression, or dysthymia, though a lower grade of depression,
is a long-term mood disorder. 'The person [with dysthymia] is sort of
limping through life, not appreciating the positive quality of life,
barely getting through,' said Cones, who relates this type of
depression to the way a person sees himself or herself and how he or
she views life."
http://www.newu.uci.edu/archive/1998-1999/fall/981012/f-981012-depressi.html

"Researchers claim that progress has been slowed because many
people--including many physicians--still mistake chemical imbalances
for weakness of character and don't take the disease seriously."
http://www.newjerusalem.com/archive-report.html

Before condemning yourself as unmotivated because of some character
flaw, consider reading up on the various types of depression.  You may
recognize your feelings in some of the articles above and also please
read:

Recognizing the symptoms of depression - this link has numerous links
to explanations
http://ivy_league0.tripod.com/rhyme_of_the_ancient_wanderer/id63.html

Chronic depression - what is it?
"He or she may experience changes in eating habits, feelings of
hopelessness, low self-esteem, low energy levels, restlessness, loss
of interest in normal activities, decreased sex drive, feelings of
guilt for no reason, difficulty maintaining relationships, and
difficulty concentrating."
http://www.hmc.psu.edu/healthinfo/d/depression.htm

Chronic depression information
http://www.vedic-health.com/depression/depressioninfo.html

GOAL (Go On And Live) site
http://www.goonandlive.com/siteMap.asp

GOAL depression facts
http://www.goonandlive.com/yna_faq.asp


SELF-MOTIVATION

Your comment "Sometimes I'm less able to motivate myself than others"
makes perfect sense as many people who experience prolonged lack of
motivation can easily motivate others.  In doing this, you are
focusing out as opposed to focusing inward.  It's very difficult to
find motivation sometimes.  Do you have a pet?  If your living
circumstances permit a pet of any kind, please consider getting one
with which to share your dwelling.  A cat, a bird, a hamster, a snake
- it doesn't matter as long as you have something living to care for. 
Caring for another being brings a certain modicum of joy and purpose
to one's life.

A way I motivate myself is to sometimes speak aloud to myself.  Some
mornings I'll awaken and think "Okay, here's another day" and I'll lie
in bed and stare at the ceiling.  When I speak aloud saying, perhaps,
"Time to put on the coffee" or "I wonder what today will bring?" helps
me to get moving.  Heck, consider singing, too.  Or put on some music
to get you moving.  Working through bouts of depression without using
drugs concerns ways to "trick" yourself onto a positive response.

Establish teeny tiny goals for yourself.  By completing a searies of
small tasks, you are actually completing the larger task of motivating
yourself.  Also, set goals each day for the next days.  These, too,
can be tiny goals but by planning for the future (tomorrow) you give
yourself something to look forward to.

Also, take vitamins!  Meloncholoy is often helped by simple vitamins
and minerals.  Plus, remembering to take them each morning or evening
is a positive goal.  lol

Vitamins for depression
http://holisticonline.com/Remedies/Depression/dep_nutrition1.htm

Nutrition and depression
http://www.healingwell.com/library/depression/beardsley1.asp

Curing helplessness and learning optimism
"1. Recognize your helplessness, lack of motivation, listlessness. 
2. Recognize that as a baby and subsequently you've had many
experiences where you were unable to control consequences or outcomes.
3. Recognize your negative emotions: boredom, anxiety, frustration,
anger, hopelessness, depression. Acknowledge them to yourself, for
example, by saying, "I recognize that I feel helpless, hopeless, and
depressed."
4. Consciously and deliberately choose to experience any or all of
these emotions. Make a cognitive link between that choice and what you
experience, for example, by saying to yourself, "I consciously decide
to feel helpless, hopeless, and depressed. Therefore I feel helpless,
hopeless, and depressed."
5. Perform a simple action such as washing the dishes or combing your
hair. Observe the consequences or outcome. Form a cognitive link
between your action and its outcome."
From http://www.buildfreedom.com/tl/wua1.shtml

Another cause of melancholoy in some people is sunlight deprivation. 
Please reviuew "Seasonal Depression and Light Therapy" at
http://www.nimr.mrc.ac.uk/MillHillEssays/1997/sad.htm


I would like to pause here and have you read the links I have provided
and consider if any of the text in the links I have provided seems
familiar to your situation.  After that, please request clarification
on any point I have mentioned and we will continue a dialogue here in
the Clarification section.  I want to assist you in understanding and
addressing your query.


SEARCH PHRASES:

depression lack of motivation
depression melancholy
depression meloncholy
chronic depression
depression and vitamins
depression and nutrition
melancholy and depression
curing lack of motivation
sunlight deprivation
light therapy

I would like to add a link to a site that I recently discovered. This
place would be very good for someone who doesn't care for prolonged
instrospection. I've been trying out these common sense ideas, and I
find that they start working fairly fast.

 http://www.johnfishbein.com/table.of.contents.htm

meego