Oman – Whether you lack the motivation to go to work or even to lose weight, a lack of motivation is one of the biggest obstacles to achieving your goals.
When you lose motivation to start or even complete a task, experts advise trying to identify the possible reasons that prevent completion, and then develop a plan to help push yourself to move forward.
Psychiatrist Dr. Ahmed Al-Shalabi told Al Jazeera Net that a person often feels unwilling to do anything, and tends to isolate himself as a result of the lack of motivation, which is his main driver.
What are the causes of lack of motivation?
Al-Shalabi says, “There are many factors that cause a loss of motivation, including a lack of self-confidence, which may lead to fear of doing anything for fear of failure. Therefore, the causes of excessive fear must be researched and analysed, and the feeling of fear usually disappears once you think logically.” .
The presence of depressive symptoms in some people also makes them look at life in a dark way and lose passion, according to Al-Shalabi, “in addition to the loss of hope and the feeling that nothing is worth making any effort. Therefore, solutions must be found for these depressive symptoms through psychological or drug treatment.” .
The psychologist also believes that impulsiveness is one of the most important reasons for losing motivation in the long term, “as some set goals and challenges that are difficult to achieve, and fail to achieve them. With repeated failures, the person loses passion for all challenges. Therefore, the challenges and goals must be studied, and the extent to which they can be applied and demonstrated.” Then implement it, and if it fails, we must find out the reasons for its failure and develop solutions.”
Contrary to the popular saying, “Love what you do until you do what you love,” many people feel negative feelings about their work, do not feel a sense of belonging, and work without a soul, which leads to a loss of motivation in all aspects of life in the long run. Therefore, it is necessary to adapt to work, or get a job that guarantees the restoration of passion, according to Al-Shalabi.
He concludes, “These are some of the reasons for feeling a loss of motivation, and there are many, so when this feeling overtakes you and you cannot find solutions, do not hesitate to seek help from a psychologist so that you can regain motivation and passion.”
Loss of motivation
For her part, researcher and social counselor Dr. Fadia Ibrahim says that “some people may sometimes feel a loss of enthusiasm, motivation, and desire towards work, people, activities, hobbies, or even life in general. This feeling may be temporary and short for a period of a week or two, and it may sometimes take longer periods.” “It lasts for months, and it is difficult for us to get rid of it.”
Fadia explains to Al Jazeera Net that the symptoms are:
- Lack of enthusiasm
- the international
- Procrastination or putting off things and tasks
- Nervousness and frustration
- Feeling of lack of accomplishment
- Lack of focus and introversion
What are the reasons for the lack of motivation in our lives?
There are many reasons that lead us to the stage of lack of motivation or motivation in our lives, according to Fadia Ibrahim, including:
- Exhaustion: When we put in a great effort for a long time, especially when the return is not feasible.
- Lack of appreciation: When we don’t find any appreciation we lose the motivation to continue.
- Physical and psychological stress: It is one of the reasons for losing motivation at work or in any relationship, which makes us lose our passion.
- Life changes: Such as separating from a partner, or moving from one country to another.
- Negative experiences: Especially in an uncomfortable environment that surrounds us with obstacles and problems.
- Emotional trauma: Including the death of Aziz.
- Change of convictions: Which leads to changing our priorities.
Skip the stage
To overcome this stage, which may hinder our progress and greatly affect our lives and our future, Fadia advises the following:
- Take a break, and set priorities and goals.
- Stay away from negativity.
- Self-care for our physical and mental health.
- Practicing new activities and entertaining yourself, such as taking a vacation, traveling, etc.
If it is difficult for us to overcome this feeling and get out of it, in this case we must seek support from family and friends, and if necessary we must seek help from a psychiatric specialist, according to the advice of Fadia Ibrahim.
Behavioral experiments
In this regard, the Free Will Mind website offers some behavioral experiments to find out the best strategies that help you achieve your goals, including:
- Act as if you are feeling motivated: You may be able to trick yourself into feeling motivated by changing your behavior. Act as if you are feeling motivated, and your actions may change your feelings.
- Argue the opposite: Try to argue the opposite When you think you will fail, discuss all the reasons why you will succeed.
- Practice self-compassion: Research shows that self-compassion is actually the most motivating, especially when faced with adversity.
- Use the 10-minute rule: This rule can help you get started: Give yourself permission to finish the task after 10 minutes. When you reach that period (10 minutes), ask yourself whether you want to continue or stop. You’ll likely find that you’re motivated enough to keep going.