pushin’ thru unmotivated times

You have a new idea or job or hobby or lifestyle you want to pursue and are unbelievably pumped for this new endeavor. You cannot stop thinking about it - absolutely obsessed! You research all the best materials you need and the ideas are flowing at rapid speed. You hang on tight for the ride for a time, maybe a few months, weeks, or even days and suddenly the brightly illuminated bulb above your head dims or flicks off and you don’t know what happened or what to do. You were SO excited for this and your excitement just randomly vanished, or life happened, or your attention span faded, or you reached a challenge that you can’t seem to climb over. You were just riding this wave of motivation

It is inevitable that you approach some plateau or drop off in motivation. First off, we need to learn to accept. Know that you will become unmotivated at times and allow yourself grace. There is no good that comes from pressurizing the situation of being unmotivated, temporarily. There is hope and this is only temporary. Do not forget about all the hurdles you’ve overcome in the past and your ability to so again. 

THE SCIENCE

Animals put in more effort when there is a reward to be expected because the reward will outweigh the work put in. Motivation is how the effort and actions can be directed towards goals. Motivation is what puts energy behind those actions because rewarding outcomes are expected (1). Dopamine projections to nucleus accumbens occur when motivation is observed (2). 

It is well known in the world of science that dopamine directly affects motivation in behaviors with rewarding outcomes. It is lesser known how motivational states influence behavior without rewarding outcomes (3). Some research proposes that there are many dopamine neuron types that play a specific role in motivational control (4).

The distinction between these types include: 

  • Those which encode Motivational Value

    • Support brain systems for seeking goals, evaluating outcomes, and value learning

    • Excited by rewarding events and inhibited by aversive events

  • Those which encode Motivational Salience

    • Support brain systems for orienting, cognitive processing, and motivational drive

    • Excited by both rewarding and aversive events

CONSIDERING YOUR MOTIVATION

These findings can be used as insight into our own motivational states and patterns. Consider the top of that paragraph - reward. What was the initial reward your mind focused on while in your motivated state? Finding what that motivation came from initially can tell you how sustainable it is, remind yourself of that reward, or shift the focus into another way the work can be rewarding. 

CONSIDER INTRINSIC

VERSUS EXTRINSIC REWARDS WHEN CHANNELING YOUR MOTIVATION

There are a multitude of people that would say extrinsic motivators are “bad”, however, there are ways to use these rewards in some situations, but are not the core to why you do something. Extrinsic motivators cannot be relied on fully for very long. You must be balanced to keep walkin’ and extrinsic rewards are ones which fade and can take away from the work you do. If the extrinsic reward doesn’t come right away, the motivation may fall too. Try to redirect or find your motivational states within the intrinsic rewards: creating meaning, finding joy in your journey in progress, and be proud of your skillset (no matter where you are in the journey). 

Thinking on the two dopamine types described above: Motivational Value will focus on the goal seeking and evaluating outcomes. This can be viewed as the initial motivation - your brain is trying to put value on a behavior or action. Motivational Salience will be that motivational DRIVE to keep going, and cognitive processing (our ability to transform and store information to work for us). This motivation is excited by both rewarding and aversive events. So you want to be careful what you feed this one! 

What we can take away from this is to try to feed our brain some positive events and mini rewards in the process of achieving our goal. This is why reminding yourself of your goal is so crucial. Re-excite your receptors of what that rewarding outcome is! Reward yourself with a little treat when you reach a new milestone in your Progress. Give yourself a hug and write about how proud you are to have achieved a new level of competence in your practice. Build the meaning behind your practice - continue building on that meaning and purpose as you create more and more of a relationship with what you are doing.

REMEMBER TO REST

Society tends to put a lot of pressure and emphasis on being productive as some part of your worth (cough cough *Hustle Culture). Yes, you need to devote work to gain your rewards but overextending yourself is not going to help the big picture. You can go astray from the core reason for why you’re doing what you do. You can burn yourself out before the going gets good. You can even miss out on life’s experiences i.e. missing the sweet scent of them roses.

Rest is just as productive as tasks, for you can’t really dedicate your full self into something without the level of clarity that comes from good rest.

Here are some reminders in ways to rest and rejuvenate:

  • Unplug for some time in the day

  • Sleep for your full cycle

  • Deep Breathing

  • Stretching

  • Social Rest

  • Spending time Outdoors

  • Showing kindness to yourself

  • Nutrition / Movement

  • Sensory Rest

The practices in recharging might look different from person to person so learning what works best for you is key. Remember or write down the things that work best so you can take care of and nurture future you. 

CONCLUSION

You will continue to grow through this process of achieving your goals. Being unmotivated sometimes is part of the package. But being in a rut isn’t forever and you can encourage a new surge of motivation with some of these tools. Also know that you can try to be consistent without motivation and that might be how it is sometimes, but you will regain motivation one day and be so happy you were consistent (and didn’t lose those skills). Find the root of meaning for you and learn your patterns well so you can have your own back in remembering unmotivated times are temporary. You may be overwhelmed, needing rest, or feeling unaligned with your purpose. All of these factors can be healed and you will get back in your flow with some patience and intention. 

GOOD LUCK AND MUCH LOVE!

Sources

  1. https://doi.org/10.7554/eLife.58321

  2. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-018-03272-2

  3. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tics.2006.06.010

  4. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.neuron.2010.11.022

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