Motivation is hard to keep up when feeling utterly exhausted. Learn how you can stay motivated throughout your day. 

It is hard to find motivation each day to deal with the piles of chores that are waiting, shuffling kids to different activities, everyone's need to eat at all times, your body not cooperating, and the exhaustion from the restless sleep you had.

Much of what we think causes a lack of motivation is actually just our body's way of telling us that it is overwhelmed. When our energy is low, it is extremely difficult to find the mental and physical capacity to take on any tasks that involve leaving our couch or bed. 

 

In 2008, I was a young mom who couldn’t wait for my day to be over to finally be able to get some sleep. I spent my days working, parenting, and taking care of chores around the house. I woke up exhausted each morning, had no energy during the day, moved blindly through motherhood, and dragged my feet to bed for what would always be a very restless night. Due to my lack of motivation, I wasn’t enjoying being a mom or my life in general. My attitude was always stuck at "just get through today." I felt deeply tired each morning, so my thoughts followed the same tone: Each day was a race home from work to get the chores done and go to bed, then repeat. There weren’t moments where I took time to enjoy motherhood; so many childhood milestones have become blurred in my mind. I lost about a decade of time due to motivational issues. A whole decade of not cherishing the time I had when my child was growing robbed me of precious moments that I could have built with her. Instead, my memories have been clouded by extreme exhaustion, which has caused severe regret.

Sometimes we are told that being tired during motherhood is normal. We are told that feeling a loss of motivation is just depression caused by hormonal imbalances after birth. This notion is partly right, but the treatments given to us, like birth control or SSRIs, may be completely unnecessary.

I did not have a clear understanding that I could have changed many things to get motivation into my days so I could enjoy life until after I became chronically ill.

As I began to work on myself during healing, I discovered that my lack of motivation was my body's way of signaling to me that something was using all of my energy. I did a ton of research and found out my nutrition was severely impacted, my mental health was struggling, and my outlook on life was directly affecting how my day went.

Once I addressed the issues with my nutrition, mental health, and outlook on life, my motivation increased to the point where I no longer dreaded my days, rushed through events and activities, and took the time to truly be present in the moments I spent with others. My life was whole again.

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The 5 secrets to staying motivated

Secret #1: YOUR OUTLOOK DICTATES YOUR DAY

How your morning routine affects the rest of your day (and how to begin preparing for it)

Have you ever woken up and immediately dreaded the amount of work that awaited you, making the rest of your day seem drab and lifeless?

This was my exact attitude each morning for over a decade. My days were filled with annoyance at how much I had to do and how much I hated doing it.

The best part about how you think about things is that you have the power to change that aspect of it. Instead of waking up dreading your day, fill your thoughts with positivity, no matter how you feel. Get excited for your day, and as you move further down the list of secrets, you will see how to do it and why you should feel excited each morning you wake up.

Proven ways to change your mindset for the better:

⦁ Wake up with one positive goal in mind that you want to complete 

⦁ Be present during breakfast with your family or hug and kiss your loved ones the moment you see them upon waking. Live alone? No problem. Send a good morning message to a friend or write a note to yourself about what you love about you.

⦁ Don't think about any daunting tasks yet; enjoy your morning.

⦁  Wake up 20 minutes early to enjoy a cup of hot tea by a window, take a walk outside, listen to uplifting music, or just ponder about a favorite day you recently had.

⦁  Drink lemon water to get your lymphatic system going. Knowing that your system is removing toxins is strongly linked to less depression.

⦁ Head out into nature; whether in your backyard, a park, a beach walk, or a mountain ride, nature is scientifically proven to wake up your cells and lighten your mood.

⦁ Turn negative thoughts into positive ones. An easy way to do this is to change how you see a situation. For example, a child screaming can be looked at as an opportunity to hold them and feel close to them, or a fight with a partner or friend can be looked at as an opportunity to grow together when fixing the issue at hand.

 

It is all about perception and how you choose to view your day. Working on seeing the world and its unfair outcomes can give you a great advantage as you progress and grow while accomplishing your daily tasks.

 

 

Secret #2: NOURISH YOUR BODY

The most important thing you should do every day, no matter what, is to nourish your body

We are all individuals. We all came from different backgrounds, have been exposed to different products, pollution, and people in our daily lives, and we all have different genetics.

When working with clients, I ask about their food intake, supplements or medications they take, and their lifestyle habits.

All of these directly impact nutrient levels, which impact energy levels (needed for motivation).

So how do you know what your levels are? Here are two ways that can paint a picture for you.

• Doctor ordered tests.
• Work with a practitioner.

 

DOCTOR-ORDERED TESTS

Blood tests that check for vitamin and mineral levels are not as accurate when taken through your insured provider. They don't show the overall picture of health; they are a snapshot in time. The ranges shown for results are too broad, and people often come back with a "normal" test result.

My labs would always read "normal," even when I felt my sickest.

There are functional tests (such as the OAT or HTMA) that are more accurate. These tests are not always covered by insurance and can be quite pricey, but they will give you a better understanding of what is actually going on in your body.

WORK WITH A PRACTITIONER

Working with someone who specializes in nutrition and restoration (like me!) to get a better understanding of your needs is the quickest way to get to the healing part.

You can avoid years of research or misleading tests by going to someone who has already done the work for you and has helped many others who have experienced similar ailments.

Once you know what your levels are, you can start to improve your health.

It is very important to optimize vitamin and mineral levels. Both are responsible for every function in your body. When one or more are low, inflammation starts to grow rampant as many functions in the body become damaged or cannot work properly, and the body gets hard at work to repair everything. The issue here is that there aren't enough vitamins and minerals for the repair process, resulting in chronic illness.

Nutrition needs to be at a higher level than what you may think you need it to be. Especially on days when a pathogen infiltrates the body and requires the entire body to fight it off.

A motivated person needs good nutrition levels to have enough energy to complete daily tasks, so be sure to pay attention to this as much as possible. 

 

 

Secret #3: FEED YOUR MIND

How to get your mindset right for success

Now that we've covered the power of positivity and feeding your body, let's look at feeding your mind.

Many of our daily stressors are caused by how we perceive tasks or events that come our way. How we approach them is what actually matters.

Finding what calms you and brings you to a peaceful state will provide great motivation to pursue unwanted tasks after you know you can get through anything.

There are many, many studies that show how helpful meditation, yoga, and brain retraining are for your mind, so I won't get technical here because we have all heard this information for years.

I will say that implementing these into your daily routine is one of the best things you can do to stay motivated. There is empowerment in being able to stay calm and remain at peace during stressful situations.

You may consider adding these to your schedule to kick-start your motivation by finding peace:

⦁    mediation
⦁    brain retraining
⦁    yoga
⦁    positive reinforcement of body image
⦁    take group classes to meet new people
⦁    get into nature
⦁    go see friends that support you
⦁    read 
⦁    talk to a therapist

 Less conventional approaches that are becoming more popular:

• Reiki
• Tapping
• CBT therapy
• EMDR
• DBT therapy

Figure out what works for you. When you find it, your motivation will start to build, and you will feel better about starting your day.

 

Secret #4: AVOID BURNOUT

How to control burnout and feeling overwhelmed

Feeling overwhelmed is not something anyone enjoys experiencing.

Feeling overwhelmed as a parent makes things a lot tougher since we have smaller versions of ourselves that depend on us. We can't just shut the door, pull the blankets over us, and ignore the world. We have to push through those feelings and continue to care for our children.

The best part of us is that we are creatures of triumph.

We can learn how to move through our situations more fluidly to avoid burnout by being prepared before it gets to that point.

When you get to a stage where you are feeling overwhelmed by life, try to help yourself by:

⦁    taking liver support. 
⦁    get enough sleep. 
⦁    plan and schedule the tasks that take time.
⦁    don't beat yourself up if you can't finish a task as planned.
⦁    take a warm, soothing magnesium bath.

 

TAKE LIVER SUPPORT

It is becoming more known that the liver takes on a lot of our mental and physical burden. By providing it with support, your mind and body won't be so easily stirred.

⦁ Milk thistle and dandelion root tea are two liver-friendly herbs.

⦁ Some foods include leafy greens and various berries like blueberries and cranberries.

⦁ If supplements are your thing, Cellcore has a product named Advanced TUDCA and Premier Research Labs has a product named Gallbladder ND (both are superb, but always ask your practitioner before starting any supplements).

GET ENOUGH SLEEP

Yes, it has been said a million times, but it is the single most important piece of advice that works for everyone. The glymphatic system (in the brain) removes toxins during deep sleep. When there is a chronic lack of sleep, the body accumulates toxins, which back up all other systems and prevents them from functioning properly.This process leads to low energy and stops any momentum of motivation fro forming.

PLAN AND SCHEDULE TASKS THAT TAKE TIME

When you have a plan in place for a specific day and time, you have a better chance of sticking to it and getting it done. By eliminating daunting tasks or ones that take a long time to complete, your mind will feel freer and lighter to tackle the tougher challenges that come your way.

DON'T BEAT YOURSELF UP IF YOU CAN'T FINISH THE TASK

Things happen that push deadlines or progress back. What is important is having a good attitude about it. When you hit a snag, try not to talk down to yourself; instead, praise yourself for recognizing that you won't overburden yourself in order to avoid burnout.

TAKE A WARM, SOOTHING MAGNESIUM BATH

This might sound simple, but with screaming kids knocking at your door every few minutes, it might sound easier not to do it. Magnesium is required for almost every bodily function and is extremely easy to deplete when stressed. So when soaking in a magnesium bath, at least be assured that the stress from those kids pounding on your door won't deplete you of it.

Feeling overwhelmed is no fun. So do what you can to ease up on yourself and take the time to do what is actually possible.

Stay motivated by allowing yourself to let the tasks you cannot complete just roll off your back and making yourself feel good about tackling them another day. If things start piling up, you can always delegate them to someone else. 

 

 

Secret #5: FIND FUN IN WHAT YOU DON'T ENJOY

How to get through daunting tasks and still enjoy your time while doing them

So here is a BIG secret.

How do you stay motivated when doing the worst tasks, the ones that you absolutely hate?

I absolutely couldn't stand doing the dishes. I had a dishwasher, but I never touched a dish unless absolutely necessary. Piles of dishes would gather on my sink, and I would not care until the last fork was used and I had to wash them. I had to learn to be okay with washing.

Doing the chores you don't like can be a drag. No one wants to do that, and it is one of the hardest parts of being an adult.

So how do you take a less-than-joyful chore and actually learn to tolerate it?

⦁ alternate big with little tasks.
⦁ have fun with it
⦁ make it a game
⦁ delegate
⦁ motivate someone else to help you
⦁ have a chore jar

ALTERNATE BIG AND LITTLE TASKS

One of the biggest issues with completing tasks is having the energy to do them. Sometimes you might keep putting off a chore for days due to how much time it might take to complete it. If you aren't already feeling your best, a big chore might be a huge turn-off when there's already so much to do. I've discovered that scheduling complicated chores or tasks and then alternating with smaller ones in between has been extremely beneficial. By doing so, energy levels that are drained after a big task can replenish during the small tasks in between.

HAVE FUN WITH IT

Chores, fun? You may think that's crazy, but that's exactly the mindset I had to have to clean my dishes. I would look at the pile and start dancing to music while cleaning; I would watch a show on my phone, and I even started playing with the dishes like when I would play with toys as a kid. Who says there are rules for doing irritating tasks?

MAKE IT A GAME

When I would put laundry away, I would open the sock drawer and count how many times I could throw the socks in from across the room. I would bet a certain amount, and if I lost, I had to do whatever the losing bet consequences were.

Adding a game aspect to chores makes the time go a lot faster.

DELEGATE

This is probably the easiest way to motivate yourself to get things done. Give the work to someone else. 

Ask your family, friends, neighbors, children, the church community, babysitters, or anyone else you can pay or get help from for free to take care of some needed chores for you.

MOTIVATE SOMEONE TO HELP YOU

Similar to making a game out of it, talk someone into helping you. Play the sock game with your kids. Ask them to throw the socks into the drawer with you, have them jump into the leaves before raking them up, or teach them to "erase" the dirt on the counter with a sponge. Having someone with you can make chores a lot more enjoyable.

Try not to care if the tasks aren't done to perfection; the point is to have fun in your life and enjoy the little moments.

HAVE A CHORE JAR

Keep a jar for tasks and chores completed. Pay yourself when a chore is done. For larger ones, more could be added. Only use that money for entertainment or fun things for yourself or your family. Alternatively, whoever completes the most chores in a given time period gets to decide where the money is spent.

Rewarding yourself for getting things done is a great way to motivate yourself to complete them. Just be careful not to tie your self-worth up to completing something and feel worthless if it doesn't get done. That is not the point, and it is a very unhealthy way of viewing yourself.

WRAPPING IT ALL UP

You can find motivation by constantly changing your mind and body perceptions. Simple lifestyle changes can truly improve the day-to-day grind. 

Keeping up with the mind-body connection can also greatly facilitate a better mental and physical approach to success. Taking care of yourself helps you to be capable of providing a healthy atmosphere for your loved ones as well. 

Once I was able to nourish my body and mind and create an environment that thrived on motivation, my days became the life force I had been dreaming of. 

Now that you have learned some secrets to staying motivated throughout your day, get excited! Tomorrow is a new day, waiting for you to start playing in its wonderful, complex world.