Suffering From Mental Illness
Many people fail to look into the possibility that they may have a mental illness.
For example, some people find it easy to dismiss depression as a minor thing, like a common cold. But those suffering from it may find the illness debilitating.
Some people suffering from major depressive disorders may find it difficult to experience pleasure or motivation. If left untreated, the illness may become a worse problem later.
How To Stop Being Lazy And Depressed
We all know the feeling of laziness. Its that sinking feeling when you just cant summon the energy to do anything. You may feel like youre in a rut, or like you cant get motivated no matter what you do.
Laziness can be frustrating, but its important to remember that its not permanent. Everyone feels lazy from time to time, but there are ways to overcome it. If youre struggling with laziness, here are some tips to help you get back on track.
1) Recognize the difference between being lazy and being depressed. Depression is a serious mental illness that cant be cured by simply snapping out of it. If you think you might be depressed, please see a doctor or mental health professional for help.
2) Dont beat yourself up about being lazy. Its okay to have days where you dont want to do anything. Just try to avoid making it a habit.
3) Get moving. Sometimes the best way to get out of a lazy funk is just to start moving. Go for a walk, do some stretches, or even just dance around your living room. Getting your body moving can help increase your energy levels
Your Clothes No Longer Fit
When youre dealing with depression, chances are you might find comfort in food.
Although emotional eating can increase your serotonin, which generates a brief sense of satisfaction, it will translate into extra pounds, accompanied by feelings of shame and guilt over time.
There are also cases when people with depression lose weight because of decreased appetite.
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How To Overcome Laziness
How can I stop laziness? The answer may not be as cut and dry as youd expect. While some people may be more prone to being lazy than others, even highly productive people can find it challenging to get things done sometimes.
Here are some tips to help you get rid of laziness and get a grasp on your productivity.
Be Clear About What Causes You To Stay Lazy
Once you confirm that youre lazy in life, inner you get to know that you need something drastic life changes in life. And, so the next step is to plan your further actions.
This is the stage when you need to find the top reasons why you are feeling lazy all the time.
Not everyone feels lazy at everything and every time.
There comes a time when even dedicated and passionate people feel lazy while doing things out of their interest, in that case eliminating laziness will be a lot easier.
But, when you feel lazy and unmotivated at everything in life, then here you need some hard steps to overcome your laziness.
Overall, find the reason what stops you from doing something interesting. And, What supports your laziness?
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The Key Differences Between Depression And Laziness
Depression and laziness have a lot in common, which is why many people are mislabeled as lazy.
The reason the “L-word” often goes with depression is that it is a common symptom of depression and mental illness.
Depression and laziness both affect motivation, concentration, energy levels, and the quality of work produced.
The difference is that depression affects one’s mental health and mood, while lazy people are just unmotivated by things outside their control because they lack self-awareness or insight into what motivates them.
Emotional/mental Signs And Symptoms:
- Ignoring household chores, like laundry or dishes.
- Neglecting personal hygiene, like showering or brushing your teeth.
At times, depression symptoms overlap with other conditions like generalized anxiety disorder, PTSD, ADHD, bipolar disorder, or a substance use disorder. It can also coincide with physical conditions like diabetes or thyroid conditions.
If you think you have depression, reach out to a health professional. They will evaluate your symptoms and review your physical and mental health history to determine an accurate diagnosis.
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Plan And Prioritize Each Day
If motivation is the reason you do something, willpower is the mental fortitude to overcome obstacles to get the job done. But its important to know that scientists think willpower is a finite resource. In other words, you only have so much willpower each day. Thats why its critical to plan and prioritize your day.
Each morning , make a list of the tasks you want to accomplish for the day. Be realistic about how much you can achieve and break big jobs into small, achievable pieces, if possible. Then, reorder the list with the most important tasks at the top, and tackle them first. That way, if you run out of willpower, youve at least accomplished the most critical items on your list. Finally, at the end of the day, look through your list and take a minute to appreciate what you accomplishedeven if it wasnt as much as youd hoped.
Take Responsibility And Empower Yourself
At this point, you should have a clear understanding of where you are and where you want to be.
Now, before you start working towards the life you want, you need to take back control of your life to remember how capable and powerful you can be.
How can you do this? It’s simple: Take responsibility for your future.
It doesn’t matter where you are, what life’s like, or how badly you’ve been treated in the past: It’s your life, so you’re responsible for improving it.
As the entrepreneur and author Stephen R. Covey said, “I am not a product of my circumstances. I am a product of my decisions.”
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Habits That Lead To Laziness
If youre feeling lazy lately, consider how well youve been nourishing your body. The foods we choose to eat have a significant impact on how we feel mentally and physically.
If youve been reaching for unhealthy snack foods more than fruits and vegetables, then you may experience a spike in energy in the short term, but in the long term, youll feel more tired.
Similarly, if youve been drinking a lot of alcohol or using drugs lately, your body will likely feel more tired and run down than usual.
Create A Checklist Of The Goals You Want To Accomplish
Want to emulate the successful people who have overcome challenges in their lives? Then one thing you can do is set a series of short-term and long-term goals that focus on what you want from life.
Regularly review this list to see which goals youve achieved, and cross them off. Writing down your goals will help you focus on them. Checking them off the list as you accomplish each one will motivate you to keep going and finish other goals.
Put copies of your checklist everywhere, as this will allow you to see it often. Once you start seeing check marks accumulating, you will want to keep going. You’ll be able to have a visual image of what you have been working towards and what you’re capable of doing. This momentum will feel good.
If you’re looking for a simple tool to help you manage this checklist, I recommend Todoist or the 13 to-do list apps listed on this page.
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How To Get Motivated If Youre Feeling Lazy
Sometimes it is inevitable to feel like we are stuck in a rut, uninspired or simply bored with everyday life. This can happen to anyone and at any time. Even if it seems impossible, the truth is that there are things you can do to motivate yourself, even when you have no motivation to do anything.
Below are a few tips to get you out of a funk and motivated if youre feeling lazy:
- Look online for inspirational blogs/articles/videos or listen to some Ted Talks, podcasts or uplifting music
- Purchase/rent self-help audio or motivational books
- Take a mindful walk and ponder on all the possibilities at your disposal or examine the things youve done in the past that helped you come out of a slump
- Do something for yourself like getting a massage, haircut, taking a bubble bath and so forth
- Find a hobby that you can realistically stick to
- Get moving whether it is going to the gym, doing housework or brisk walking, exercise can benefit your mental health
- Organize your space or move your furniture around
- Keep track of your progress and reward yourself
There is no rhyme or reason as to which specific tools can get you back on track, as long as these are healthy, effective and align with your personality. The main point is to switch things around and break the monotony. Even the smallest change can help you get into a better mindset, improve your mood and reignite your motivation.
Track Positive Habits And Build Streaks
Humans like visual cues. We also like to maintain streaks. Use this to your advantage.
Jerry Seinfeld has a great technique. Set a small, achievable task, and
In his case, it was to write one joke. Doing this lets you see the streak build, and makes you want to keep it alive.
Sitting down to finish one easy task is often enough to overcome the reluctance to get started. You will achieve way more than you set out to. As the days and weeks build-up, missing one day will seem unthinkable.
It doesnt have to literally be a calendar you mark with a big red X. Keep a tally of successful days at your desk, or use a habit tracking app . Find a style that suits you and use it.
The point is to monitor the habit and reinforce completing tasks.
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Do Not Stress About Daily Tasks
Breaking from the fog of not wanting to get out of bed can take some time.
To-do lists can sometimes be overwhelming, especially first thing in the morning. Instead of letting the stress of lots of tasks become overwhelming, a person struggling to get out of bed should try not to worry about getting it all done.
Instead, the person should do what they can and remember that tomorrow is a new day to accomplish things. It might be helpful for them to prioritize a few tasks on the list that they know are possible to complete. Ticking these tasks off the list may motivate a person to do more.
You May Be Struggling With Substance Abuse
Laziness and depression could be symptoms of a substance abuse problem. Self-medicating can appear to be laziness , but it’s actually an addiction problem.
In fact, one growing type of addiction is Adderall, a medication meant to help those with ADHD. Often, people abuse Adderall to combat laziness because it provides energy and intense focus however, Adderall addiction can eventually lead to a person feeling depressed.
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Youre Daydreaming Most Of The Time
Have you ever wondered how many hours a day you spend fantasizing about a better, happier life?
Although letting your imagination run free is perfectly normal, spending too much time disconnected from reality can be a sign of depression or trauma.
Experts call it maladaptive daydreaming, the tendency to escape reality and construct fantasies that generate a momentary sense of satisfaction.
How To Encourage People With Depression And Mental Health Problems
One of the best ways to completely deflate and degrade someone with depression is to call them lazy. Language has power. When you see someone being lazy at work, pause and consider how to inspire them.
Consider swapping out the word “lazy” from your vocabulary altogether. As I mentioned, lazy has such a negative connotation and can bring up harmful feelings.
Encourage employees and colleagues to schedule downtime into their calendars. Sometimes I call it “thinking time” or moments of space.
It might look like laziness, but it’s actually the most replenishing time you can put on your agenda.
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You No Longer Care About Your Looks
And why should you!?
Its not like youre going somewhere or meeting someone.
Eventually, you get to a point where youre too ashamed of yourself even to try to make some changes and start taking care of yourself.
But the saddest part is that people are often too quick to judge you and fail to understand that your lack of interest is not a sign of laziness but a consequence of depression.
Coping With Depression & Laziness
You may feel so physically and mentally exhausted that doing the slightest task can feel too daunting. This absence of vitality will only deepen your depression and struggles with laziness making it harder and harder to cope with daily life. However, you can gradually break this cycle and supplement treatment by intentionally tweaking a few things in your life.
Below are some ideas for coping with laziness and depression:
- Maintain healthy habits Eat balanced and nutritious meals, develop a bedtime routine,get adequate sleep, engage in regular physical activity, and keep up with your overall personal hygiene
- Focus on your physical health Get your physical exam/health screening, have your eyes checked, and tend to your dental care.
- Develop an optimistic outlook Shift your attention toward pleasant moments throughout the day, use daily positive affirmations to motivate you, and journal about the things you find inspiring.
- Lean on your supports Connect with close friends and relatives, find a supportive community/religious organization, a support group with individuals who share the same struggles as you.
- Manage your stress properly Engage in relaxation practices such as meditation, deep breathing, and yoga to help manage stress.
- Ask for help Keep yourself accountable and ask a close friend/relative to help you with your to do list, remind you of deadlines and do daily check-ins with you.
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No Clear Goal Or Purpose
It is often said that spontaneity is good. Still, it would help if you had a clear purpose in life. When you dont find fulfillment in the things you do, you can lose motivation.
The person may be doing things just for the sake of doing it and not because they are trying to accomplish something rewarding.
This situation is like going through a forest without a map. One either gets lost or arrives at a different destination.
Most Common Reasons For Being Lazy Or Tired
Most of us usually think about why am I so lazy at home? or why am I so lazy and unmotivated?. To answer these questions, we first need to identify the problems that prevent us from taking appropriate action at the moment. So lets check out some habits which make us lazy.
Creating too big and complicated Goals
We all have dreams and goals in our lives, and we really worked very hard to achieve these goals. When we dont get the desired results, we ignore the objectives and stop taking our work seriously that is the leading cause of laziness.
Lack of proper sleep
Our daily routine also plays a vital role in our health. If we dont sleep for 7-8 hours every day, it reflects our whole days activities, and we feel lazy throughout the day.
Unhealthy Diet or Nutrition
People more often like to eat unhealthy junk street food like pizza, burgers, sandwiches, noodles, and more. But none of these foods provide the proper nutrients to our body. Nutrition is the primary source of energy for our body if we dont get the right nutrients and energy, how can we stop being lazy?
No Exercise
People who dont like to exercise daily have been proved lazier than the others who exercise daily. When we exercise, we burn the calories we consume from the food we take, which helps us stay first and more active. But doing nothing makes us lazier and more sleepy the whole day.
The condition of being dehydrated
Having to work in extreme temperatures
Focus deficit
Deficiency of Iron
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Alcohol Tobacco And Other Drugs
The misuse and abuse of alcohol, tobacco, illicit drugs, and prescription medications affect the health and well-being of millions of Americans. SAMHSAs 2020 National Survey on Drug Use and Health reports that approximately 19.3 million people aged 18 or older had a substance use disorder in the past year.
Grief And Motivation: Feeling Low
Another reason why you may lack drive is because of grief. When people die, and they are close to you, it can lead to various issues. Grief can lead to anxiety and depression and a loss of drive.
Also, grief is not as black and white as the model of grief makes it out to be. You can experience a rollercoaster of emotions. Your sleep patterns may be disturbed one day, and the next, you have a bout of social anxiety. Sometimes, you may even have a good day and then go back to feeling bad the next day. You may wonder what’s a good idea when it comes to treating grief. There isn’t any way to “get over” a loss, and people cope in different ways. However, if your grief is becoming a health condition, is lasting a long time, and is affecting how you’re making money and living life, that’s a problem.
Seeking grief therapy can make a huge difference a therapist can help when you imagine feeling down about yourself. Also, peer support and people who can empathize with what you’ve lost are good moves as well. Grief can change in minutes, a day, and if not days, then a week. Getting help can stop this cycle of feeling sad minutes a day. You will always have feelings for who you’ve lost and feel upset for a long time, but a therapist can help you return to a normal life.
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