The Connection Between Depression and Motivation

You wake up in the morning already exhausted, thinking of the many tasks you have to accomplish that day. It’s so overwhelming, in fact, that you can’t seem to do anything at all but crawl back into bed. What you need is motivation, and that’s in short supply when you’re struggling with depression.

The relationship between depression and motivation is a vicious circle. When you’re depressed, it’s often difficult to fulfill your normal obligations. Then, falling behind on your obligations can make you feel even worse. It can be particularly frustrating to feel unmotivated when treating your depression with medication and talk therapy. That’s when TMS can be helpful in alleviating depression symptoms so that you can regain your motivation and momentum again.

Lack of Motivation and Depression: How They’re Linked

All areas of your life are affected when you’re not feeling motivated or driven. A straight-A student or productive employee may see their performance suffer because they can’t accomplish the simplest tasks. And it can be hard to communicate to coworkers or teachers the reason why you’re having a hard time. This may make you feel even more depressed.

Low motivation is detrimental personally as well as professionally. Relationships may deteriorate because you don’t have the energy to connect with others. That same low energy makes it hard to do basic self care, such as exercising, eating well, and getting enough sleep, which can lead to mental and physical health issues.

Finally, too much stress can also wear you down. When the body produces excessive amounts of the cortisol hormone in response to stress, it can cause exhaustion. In turn, it can lower levels of dopamine and serotonin. And when you’re already feeling unmotivated, the stress from falling behind on tasks may intensify the lack of motivation. You simply lack the will to function. It’s easy to fall into the trap of feeling worthless or hopeless when you lose motivation. These feelings of failure may spiral, which is why it is critical to speak with your support team and seek professional treatment to help with your depression symptoms. There are also some things you can do to help boost your motivation that don’t require too much effort. Even a small step towards positive change can make a big difference.

How to Find Motivation When You’re Depressed

Increasing your motivation is like building muscle—you need to exercise it regularly to make it stronger. Here are some simple things to try:

Interrupt negative thought patterns: Negative thoughts and self-talk are defeating. Beating yourself up about missing a deadline will only make you feel worse. Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) allows you to examine the negative emotions and thoughts and replace them with more positive patterns. A therapist trained in CBT can teach you coping strategies and tools you can use when you find your thoughts turning towards a dark place.
Make a routine: Keep it simple at first so that you aren’t overwhelmed—it’s daunting when there’s too much on your to-do list. Plus, when you’re too busy, you run the risk of toxic productivity, a byproduct of high-functioning depression that can keep you from focusing on your mental health.
Invest in supportive relationships: Social contact with close friends or family may increase your motivation with their support and encouragement. They can also help hold you accountable if you need a gentle, loving push to get motivated.
Take care of your physical needs: A massage or a day soaking up the beauty of the outdoors may be great, but if you can’t manage that, simplicity is key. Healthy food, a walk around the block, and seven to nine hours of sleep are great self-care habits to follow. They’ll provide an energy boost that may jump-start your motivation.
Look for small pleasures: Do something that gives you pleasure, even if it’s just once a week for a short period of time. This can be a hobby, a sport, or socializing with friends. The good feelings this generates can ease symptoms of depression and lack of motivation.
Create a reward system: When you find the motivation to accomplish a task or take care of yourself, reward yourself with a movie, a new outfit, or something else you’d like. This will reinforce your motivation to keep up with positive habits. You’ll also gain self-confidence as you dig deep to get motivated and achieve your goals.

Even though these strategies may sound easy, they can be daunting for someone in the midst of a depressive episode. Feelings of failure, hopelessness, or fatigue can seem insurmountable. That’s why it’s vital to find depression treatment that works for you, making symptoms more manageable so that you can work on regaining your motivation.

Medication and talk therapy such as CBT are first line treatments. TMS can be effective when you find those methods aren’t giving you the results you want. TMS is a non-invasive outpatient treatment for depression that can help alleviate symptoms, including lack of motivation. This is how TMS works: An electromagnetic coil is placed on the scalp, near the left temple. Gentle magnetic pulses are sent through the coil to the targeted areas of the brain. The pulses become electrical currents that activate the brain’s nerve cells to restore brain function and ease symptoms.

Treatment sessions are brief, between 18 and 45 minutes long, and you’ll remain comfortably seated the whole time. There are minimal side effects—mild headaches or scalp discomfort are the most common—and no downtime so you can drive yourself to and from treatment. A course of treatment usually includes TMS every weekday for four to six weeks, followed by some less-frequent treatments for a while. If you’re feeling motivated to make meaningful change in your life, schedule your free consultation to see if TMS is right for you.

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The Connection Between Depression and Motivation