What do you do to pull yourself out of a funk when you can't motivate yourself to do anything?

[walkwalk]

I've lost my mojo. Frittered the day away being lazy (depressed?) when there's hundreds of things I really should be doing.

Is there anything that always works for you to pull yourself out of this kind of funk? I'm letting myself and my family down and hate being/feeling like this.

I have a mild disability which means I can't exercise, otherwise I'd probably just get my running shoes on and force myself out (like I used to when I was young and healthy)...

Thanks in advance for any tips - Wishing you all a lovely happy day :)

I don’t feel like I’ll ever come out if it
If I get one thing a day done, I’ve done ok

Have you spoken to your GP? That would be the best first step if you think you’re depressed

There’s things you can try like Rescue Remedy or St. John’s Wort, but the efficacy of these may not be high in patients with actual depression/anxiety. It would be an option for someone with temporary low mood though.

Personally I like to go for walks/runs, exercise, get properly ready for the day, stay in touch with friends, look back at past achievements etc

Also making a to-do list and ticking things off helps me focus. Even if it’s little things like buying something from the shop, laundry or making a phone call

Weirdly, I allow it. I consciously think "I'm doing fuck all right now" it's a desicion I've made it's not being helpless, I have chosen to do fuck all(it's not true---at first), I blame a book (poss Alan Carr) that said you should tell the shopkeeper how much you love the fags you're buying.

Once you stop apologising for shit (or feeling like you should apologise) you just feel better, you stop hating yourself a bit.

It sounds backwards but it works.

I thought I was just being lazy, but all of this resonates. It's been about a week since I did anything productive on a day off. I hate admitting that to DH.

I don’t feel like I’ll ever come out if it
If I get one thing a day done, I’ve done ok

It's better than ok if the alternative was doing nothing all day and feeling shit about it. You don't have to keep up with the wonder women who have flawless hair, make up, houses, careers and social lives.

They sound happy but what are they doing? When do they get bored?

Bold fail. Meh.

Try the three minute rule.
Works to the same principle as the 15 minute/20 minute timer but easier to achieve.
The fifteen minute principle can still feel overwhelming at times, so easy to procrastinate before starting the timer.
Try sitting for three minutes first and pay attention to how quickly it passes.
Then start your activity for the timed three minutes and note how much you achieve.
Up to you if you stop at this point and restart the process in a few minutes time of if you continue with the task you started.
Keep repeating these steps every time you are struggling to start something.
Eventually you'll neural pathways will adapt and change to the new behaviours so it will become easier/you will feel more motivated to just get on with what you need to do.

Hi OP,
Things I find helpful:
In the morning do the basics of getting showered, dressed, bit of makeup if you use it, by repeating the mantra: You don't have to want to, you just have to do it.
Make a list of what you did do yesterday. That is really motivating. You will tell yourself you sat on your arse all day when in fact you fed the cat, the kids, the birds, did laundry, ordered some presents on line, emptied the dishwasher, wiped down the kitchen surfaces, did a bit of tidying, cuddled the kids, cleaned your teeth etc etc. All that is not nothing. It adds up to helping life flow and stay happy and healthy for a lot of people. Write down you 'At Least I' list at the end of the day.

To actually reboot your motivation, the best trick is to do something you've never done before. Do it consciously and make a note (actually write it down in a notebook or private blog) of what you felt/thought about it. I don't know why but this seems to kickstart the dopamine that gives us motivation. It can be a small think: listen to a song by a new artist, try a new flavour of coffee, walk down a street you've never been down before etc. Or it can be a bigger thing - radical new haircut or clothes, online lesson etc.

Also, a mild disability shouldn't prevent all exercise. Just find a version that works for you and modify it so you don't get damaged or exhausted. You might not be able to run but can you do some yoga at home? Floor exercises if your feet are damaged, or upright exercises if it's your spine and you can't do sit ups etc. I started exercising when I had a really bad foot injury and could barely walk. I just found online stuff to do and pretty quickly discovered that by making other parts of my body much stronger, (core, quads, glutes) the foot had less pressure on it and healed more quickly.

@WizzyWanta - I love that 3-minute idea. Going to try that.

@lilmishap - that is so true. I am trying to teach DS this. He gets wound up if he 'wastes' a day. It's the holidays. He's allowed to! I might show him your post.

@User258544 - I really agree with your 'do the easy things first' idea.

When we are demotivated, it is easy to spend a whole day staring at a massive project we haven't the energy for. Much better to just get online and order a couple of stocking presents, pick up a pint of milk, drop that mis-posted letter round to the neighbour and paint your nails than sit in the gloom feeling useless. Then you can cross loads of stuff off the list.

Mine is housework related but I listen to this podcast a slob comes clean and it has really helped me.
She has a way of breaking things down to the simplest level and makes things very manageable. I have 4 jobs to do everyday to keep things ticking- that’s a very manageable number and when it all goes tits up, I know exactly how to get on top again.
I save up the podcasts to listen to when I need to tackle a bigger job, or am having a slump day and struggling through the 4 jobs, because I’ve come to associate her voice with getting stuff done.