As I pressed snooze for the umpteenth time over the course of an hour, I wondered what it is about Monday mornings that makes it so hard to find motivation. I’m very lucky to be doing something I love but there is still something about Monday mornings. Maybe a late night watching films doesn’t help but after all, that’s what Sunday are for … a little bit of indulgence. Right?
I finally rolled myself up into a seated position, although even my dogs didn’t open their eyes, and that’s when I heard it. The volley of voices criticising, attacking and judging every part of me and my life. It was like a hurricane of drones telling me to not even bother. Obviously not the most helpful thing to hear first thing in the morning and definitely not on a Monday. At least I don’t have the physical appearance of the owner of those voices anymore tearing the curtains open and yelling at me to do something useful with myself. So how do I use mindfulness for self-motivation?
Why do we Lack Self-Motivation?
It’s worth first understanding where lack of motivation comes from, not including depression which often needs professional help. In this case, however, I’m talking about your normal “I just don’t feel like it” day. One key aspect is understanding whether you are doing something meaningful in your life. Have you worked out your core values and purpose? Finding motivation when you are following others’ expectations is clearly going to be hard. I know it’s not easy to find but we need to honour our choices and dreams. Otherwise, you’re essentially living someone else’s life.
We all still get bad days, even if we are living a life of purpose and meaning of our choice. Stress is a natural biological response to triggers around us that happen regardless of the path we have chosen. Sometimes it can feel overwhelming so we don’t know where to start our day. Or sometimes we simply procrastinate. Part of this procrastination is that we haven’t linked the right reward to our activity or goal. Mindfulness however helps link the reward we require to do something to the actual activity itself, rather than the goal. Enjoy the process, so to speak.
How Can we Use Mindfulness for Self-Motivation?
You’ll see articles out there that claim that mindfulness de-motivates because you are so focused on the present that you have no desire to work on the future. However, on the contrary, mindfulness allows you to find self-motivation. Being mindful helps you understand who you are and allows you to connect to your core values such that you know your purpose.
Mindfulness allows you to connect to your current activity and to be present with it such that you can enjoy it fully and without distraction. In fact, mindfulness cultivates the desire for personal growth and overall improvement in everything you do which, essentially, drives self-motivation. This is because you learn to appreciate the journey without fixating on the outcome.
1- Non-Judgment and Compassion
Before meditation and mindfulness, I wasn’t aware of all my negative chatter going on in my head. It was a bit like a radio on in the background. I knew it was there but didn’t really know what it was saying or doing. Having learnt awareness by being mindful, I can now hear it, pause it and let it go. I can reframe it with compassion and non-judgement. Of course sometimes, especially on Monday mornings, it’s a little bit harder. However, by lunchtime, I’ve accepted the voices, reframed them and become peaceful again.
2- Gratitude and Meaning
With mindfulness, I can reframe my negative chatter and also do my gratitude exercise. It’s a beautiful feeling once you remind yourself that of course you have positive traits and yes, you can use them well.
My favourite exercise is so simple: state 5 things you like about yourself and 5 things you’re grateful for. I use this exercise to remind myself that because of these things, I am able to live my life of purpose and meaning.
3- Manage Stress
Research now shows that meditation and mindfulness are wonderful techniques for dealing with stress. This is because they help reduce the size of our amygdala (fight or flight gland) whilst also impacting our brain volume. Research is ongoing but with practice, it’s clear that meditation and mindfulness help us find some calm in our minds. Next time you’re feeling overwhelmed, try a simple exercise to activate your senses and bring you back into the now. The 5-4-3-1 exercise will calm you down and also help you realise that the past is gone and the future isn’t here yet so just eaccept and appreciate the present.
It’s a very simple exercise that involves you listing 5 things you can see, 4 you can feel, 3 you can hear, 2 you can smell and 1 that you can taste. It also gives you the added benefit of creating curiosity about your environment and curiosity is a natural motivator and energiser.
So next time you’re stuck under your sheets hiding from the world, breathe, remember what you’re good at and be grateful for those things. I’m not saying it’s easy because the voices in our heads are, let’s face it, loud but with time and practice, like everything, it’s get easier. And more meaningful. Try it, you’ve got nothing to lose.
