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It would be safe to say that everyone is feeling some sense of lethargy right now. The ongoing issues, here and all over the world, are still getting us down somewhat. There is a way out, but we will have to wait. And right now, we are at that point where the end is in sight, but we have still got to push through. And this is quite possibly the worst bit. Like when you are trying for some motivation to get fit, there are times where you peak and trough. You will have the motivation to go exercise, but the sheer pain of it is enough to make you step back for a long time. And the cycle begins again and again. But right now, we may very well feel a lack of motivation in every single area of our lives. And when we feel so deflated, it’s not easy to get back our mojo again. But it’s important to note that rediscovering enthusiasm is not about the major goals in life, but it’s about trusting our intuition and rediscovering happiness in the smallest of areas. Let’s show you some little things you can do during this difficult time.

The Littlest of Pleasures

Feeling a lack of motivation can be directly correlated to the big things in life. But we have to remember that there are small things that give us as much pleasure, if not more pleasure. We can greatly underestimate the impact of slow and steady winning the race. Coupled with the fact that, when we are looking to achieve a big goal, it is the small ones that will give us the momentum and the feeling of achievement. When you translate this to getting some enthusiasm for life again, look at the little things that you do as a daily habit, and if they actually make a difference to your life. We can greatly underestimate the impact of something like sports. And sports are one of the few things operating right now that we can look forward to. You might be someone that’s never understood the impact of sports. But you may realise that getting involved in the Six Nations or following the Premier League: mid-season rankings doesn’t only provide you with something to invest your mind in. It also helps to distract you. It’s something that you tend to appreciate as you get older. If you are someone that doesn’t really care for sports, learning to invest your time in something like this is beneficial for the mind, body, and soul! And it’s these little pleasures that were once irrelevant pastimes, that can make a big difference.

The Importance of Gratitude

You might think that there is very little to feel grateful for right now. And it’s easy to see why. But gratitude is a wonderful tool to have because it helps you to make the most of anything, no matter how negative it would appear. Learning to be grateful and appreciative of the things you have in life works wonders at retraining your perspective. When you start to look at what you have rather than what you don’t have, you start to view the glass as half-full. And when you start to get into this habit, it is something that can slowly manifest overtime. It gradually turns you into someone with a more positive outlook. You may think that there is nothing to look forward to. But while people may tell you to “cheer up” or put a smile on your face, incorporating gratitude into your life gives many benefits. And building your ability to be grateful requires practice. The important thing is to start small by doing the following:

1. Observe. Look at the responses you give out to the world. Look at the “thank yous” you say. Check in with yourself by doing a scan of your body. Are there signs that show you are not present right now or are thinking away?

2. Look at one interaction every day. When the inclination to say thank you comes up, look at what you are actually grateful for. Before you say “thank you,” think about the reasons behind the gesture.

Being grateful improves your mental health, boosts your relationships, and can give you a little bit more meaning to life, especially if you feel isolated and unmotivated.

Learning To Accept Your Mood

When we feel tired, we end up in a foul mood. But what we have to remember is that when we feel like this, our abilities to make good decisions are compromised. And it’s important to remember that when we feel like this, that we understand we are not going to do what is best for ourselves. But it seems that we seldom stop and accept that we are not able to make sound decisions. Instead, we push through, thinking that if we continue to wade through emotional mud, that we will come out the other side. But sometimes it’s just as important to realise that when you are not in a good mood, that you take a step back and accept that you are feeling this way. Because sometimes we can force ourselves to be in a good mood but we do not have the ability to get ourselves out of it. And, much like in meditation, it’s about observing these thoughts, and accepting they are there, which gives you an ability to engage with them, so you can move on. We can spend a lot of time thinking that we need to get ourselves out of these foul moods. And it can work, but it’s also important to take care of ourselves when we feel like this.

Because when you accept that you are feeling like this, it gives you more clarity on the situation. Prioritising self-care is something that means you are giving yourself a foundation to look forward to doing stuff again. Right now, we are in a situation where we may feel there is nothing to look forward to, or the normal world is so far away that we are stuck. But the great thing that you can do right now is put habits into place that prioritises your notion of self-care. There are so many things that you can do that do not take long to achieve in a single day. And the great thing is they are free:

• Meditation. 
• Yoga. 
• Deep breathing exercises. 
• Learning to change your mindset. 
• Learning how to talk positively. 
• Retraining your body.
• Figuring out how to work smart rather than hard.

As we learn to accept how we feel, it consolidates something in our mind and body. It’s okay to not feel okay. And when you start to accept that there are days where you are not operating at your best, you can start to put the things in place that will give you some enthusiasm for life. But it all begins with prioritising yourself. When we don’t feel enthusiastic about life, this goes hand in hand with having a low opinion of ourselves. But by incorporating practices that force you to look after yourself, it’s reinforcing the message that you are worth it.

What Has Changed?

Because the world has changed, this can immediately communicate negativity. But we have to remember that change is a constant in life. We’ve all gone through a period of unspeakable change. But it’s part of human nature that we evolve and adapt. When you look at what is different in how you go about your day now, it’s not necessarily a bad thing. There are external issues that are, no doubt, causing difficulty. But change is usually the first step to something better. We have to remember that if we have no enthusiasm for life, is it because things have changed too much? But this is where we have to accept the challenge of change, and incorporate it into our lives. When you start to think about change and how it can bring about something better, you may feel that this is not the case. But change is something that brings us out of our comfort zone and makes us change our approaches to life. And maybe we’re not feeling enthusiastic because there is too much going on that we don’t recognise any aspect of our normal life. But if you look closely, there are things that are still there. If you feel like everything has changed, you may just be looking in the wrong places. 

There are many benefits of what is going on right now because it is forcing us to streamline our lives. And it’s important to remember that when life goes back to normal, there may be things that you will miss about this time. Some things are simpler, and you may think that if you have no enthusiasm that you are yearning for what life used to be like. But now is the Year Zero in starting all over again. You may not feel enthusiastic because of external reasons, but you’ve got the ideal opportunities to focus on yourself again.