I keep getting stuck

[Fusciainertia]

I've been really struggling with inertia (not sure if that's the best term) for the last few weeks but I've always had it.

I feel there's a very strong part of me that urges me to sit down and tells me I need to rest.

I end up wasting so much time just messing on my phone. I don't think it's a phone addiction as I feel like the initial urge is to do nothing and the next best thing to that is sit and mess on my phone.

I have stuff around the house and two hobbies that I really want to pursue but I just can't bring myself to doing them and that makes me feel shit.

I also haven't been going to my yoga class as I can't muster up the motivation to go.

Right now I've got stuff I want to do but my body just doesn't want to do it.

Any tips or advice would be great. Also if anyone else goes through it just hearing about that would be validating.

Thank you

Hi OP, there's a recent thread about this titled, "Is there a name for this?" Don't know how to add the link. That might help.
I'm very much like this too, though without the strong urge to rest.
Hope things improve for you soon.

Is it all the time, or particular times?

I identify strongly with this. But I have particular times where it’s much worse - eg the week before my period, and I have an afternoon slump.

Giving myself permission (sorry that’s such a cliched thing but I don’t know how else to say it) to rest in those times makes it easier to be a bit firmer with myself at other times iyswim.

I also have a bad day plan (a list of the only things that really, really need doing) so that I can feel I’ve hit targets and not add a dose of self loathing to the problem.

I’m trying to add some reading and puzzle books in to compete with the phone scrolling but I’ve only started that so time will tell.

Back to add: have you had a blood test to rule out any obvious reasons for the desire to rest?

Bear in mind that quite a few things are ignored until they reach critically low levels so it can be worth looking at the nice guidelines (or whatever they’re called) as well, if the gp determines that everything is ok. There have been threads about this in terms of ferritin and thyroid on mumsnet.

It can be any time of the day that I don't have structure. I'm not physically tired though.

It's like part of my brain is telling me I need to preserve energy. Like I'll finish some work at my desk and have 2 hours of the evening or working day left and I'll just get stuck....even if I've allowed myself to have a chill night I'll be scrunched up messing with my phone or dooodling and I'll be thinking this would be so much more comfy if I just got up and went to my bedroom or living room but I can't muster up the energy/motivation to move so I just stay there unsatisfied. It's so annoying.
Today has been great as I've had a diary full of clients and then I had yoga. I even managed to do some house work in-between my clients because I knew I only had max
20mins
in-between clients so that gave me a sense of urgency. I'm properly worn out now.

But if I have 3 hour block with no work I'll just waste it all of it.

Today has been great as I've had a diary full of clients and then I had yoga. I even managed to do some house work in-between my clients because I knew I only had max
20mins
in-between clients so that gave me a sense of urgency. I'm properly worn out now.

So would it be fair to suggest that you might have difficulty pacing yourself at busy times too? That you’re fully on-On-ON
or just off, but no in-between?

That’s not a criticism at all! I’m just trying to get a better sense of things?

I find that having some structure is essential for me- I make timetables. It’s embarrassingly similar to study time tables except that I’ve learned to make much more realistic ones now. I do best when I have some choice of tasks to do - I’ll either fly and get them all done, or get something done while avoiding something else. But if I have complete freedom I’ll grind to a halt because there’s too many choices.

Even writing that out on a ND board of broad minded kindly disposed fellow NDs makes me cringe! But it’s true.

And it’s only useful if I have the organisational capacity to implement it. I’m either on top of life or under it.

But I will also say that I also 100% need to crash and zone out and sometimes my best work or ideas comes after I’ve “percolated” for a while.

It’s contradictory for me though because sometimes it’s a precursor to a flash of brilliance, or a spurt of energy, and other times it just feeds the black dog.

In terms of paralysis, I have had times where I literally could not move (definitely mental rather than physical) and I’ve learned that finger stimming can be a way to break through that. I hadn’t connected the experience of getting sucked into a few hours of doom scrolling with that experience of just being stuck, or another experience I used to call “mental plonk” of just letting all thoughts go, and being completely unfocused and still. But there’s definitely some overlap isn’t there.

I don’t know if there’s anything helpful to you in those ramblings!

@Andsoforth thanks for sharing that.

Rather than all or nothing I think I just respond to external structure and deadlines and can't access that response if i set myself stuff....unless I have to do something inbetween external deadlines. Because the external deadlines acts as a deadline for my set stuff. (I hope that makes sense)

Often I write myself time tables but I always struggle to follow them...unless I set myself stuff to do on an already busy day.....we are kind of back to your point about all or nothing.

I guess the result is all or nothing but to me it's about external deadlines Vs not having them.

Hi @Fusciainertia, I can relate to this.

You are not alone. I think I'm burned out so my motivation is at an all time low which may be reflected in dopamine levels that are rock bottom. I can muster energy to do things under certain conditions.