Should we really be focusing on motivation when feeling depressed?

I personally don’t think so.

Having knowledge and education about motivation is very helpful and so so so important but when it comes down to fundamentally being motivated. Thats the last thing we should be looking at.

Often for motivation to occur we need to give ourselves that kick start – which usually involves doing activities whilst not being motivated.

Discipline and Consistency underpin motivation, and these should be your focus when overcoming low mood.

Consistently in particular can be the most helpful to focus on.

That’s because being consistent will look different everyday. Because this is real life right? Of course you’re not going to be able to operate at 100% everyday 7 days a week.
But consistency is something you can still work towards.

I like to use going to the gym and completing a full workout with a battery percentage analogy:

When we’re at 100% we can do our full gym work out.
When we’re at 50% we may only be able to do half.
And when we feel like we only have 10/20% to give we may only do 10 minutes on the tredmill.

Consistency isn’t about caring how you show up, its just about showing up – and sometimes showing up is the act itself.

If you’re able to identify your levels of consistency at 100%, 50% and 10% you’ll always be able to show up in one way or another.

Doing this builds discipline which helps build motivation as you gain a sense of achievement and fulfilment for showing up anyway!

Its hard to take those first steps and get out of that cycle of low mood, so make being consistent work for you.

DISCLAIMER: this post is not a substitute for therapy, and any guidance provided should be consulted with your personal therapist. this post is for educational purposes only.