Use Your New Year Motivation Wisely
There are many things that impact your motivation. It’s normal to have ups and downs on a daily basis. Some days you wake up ready to hit the ground running and tackle your entire to do list and other days… your to do list makes you want to take a nap. Of course there are many mental health issues that make these shifts in motivation even more pronounced. If you have bipolar or borderline personality disorder, you know what I’m talking about. When you are on, you are ON. You have that fire within you and the interest to put effort into important areas of your life. Other times, not so much. Regardless of your mental health status, for many of us the new year also is one of those times where we get a burst of motivation. But we all know that motivation doesn’t last forever. So what can you do?
Having bursts of motivation is great. I always say in therapy that, “A one is better than a zero.” Meaning, if you have some motivation, even it if doesn’t last forever, that still counts and it’s still worth something. One adjustment that can make a huge impact is to shift the focus from productivity to sustainability. A situation that I encounter often is when I start seeing a new client in therapy and they suddenly make a massive improvement in the first few sessions. Their mood symptoms are lifting, they have given themselves permission to change, and suddenly things are starting to look hopeful. This is always great news, but we also need to be cautious because that sudden burst of motivation doesn’t always endure over time.
One of the best ways to harness that temporary increase in productivity or creative energy is to use it to set your future-self up for success. Spend that energy establishing systems, habits, and structures that will help you to be functional each day regardless of how full (or empty) your motivation tank is. For example, you might be starting the new year with a great deal of motivation to start exercising more. While it would obviously be helpful to hit the ground running (literally), it would be more sustainable to also apply some of that motivation to laying out an exercise schedule in your calendar, sign up for some online personal training, or establish an accountability buddy that will get you moving on the days when you are feeling less fired up.
In the mental health realm, you might see a sudden increase in positive mood and hopefulness that feels great. Maybe you are returning to activities and interests that had fallen away toward the end of the year. You are absolutely allowed to go with the flow and enjoy the feeling of having more interest. Also try to use some of that energy to set your future-self up for success. Perhaps it could be time to start a journaling habit or adjust your morning routine. Maybe you could start practicing mindful meditation or sign up for a weekly therapy group. Anything that will keep you on track when you aren’t feeling as amped about progress as you are now.
All of these examples represent things that will hopefully help you continue moving forward even when your current energy and motivation wanes. Your own habits and systems will be unique, so spend some time thinking about this. What can you do to set your future, less motivated, self up for success? Have some version of the following conversation with yourself:
“Things are great right now, but I know they won’t always be. What can I do now that will make things a little bit easier when I don’t feel as good?”
I know this is the less-sexy version of new year’s inspiration. But you know I’m all about being practical and realistic rather than just blindly optimistic. You will thank me a couple months from now. Here’s to a sustainable and safe 2021. We got this!
