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Thomas's avatar

There's a few things that I try when in a slump. Once I'd realised that as a result I'd let my eating and general housecare slip, and I made a calendar to track days where I cooked a proper meal and days where I washed up, with the aim to hit a certain target by the end of the month, and it actually helped a lot.

The other thing is creative endeavours. I love making music but it can be a bit more time consuming, so I took up painting as well, which I love because you see immediate results

NeoKazuho's avatar

I did try it to be honest but never turn out the way I wanted to as I am a person who prefer an immediate result. But I can try to use tracking for a more proper planning.

Horror and Cats's avatar

Can't recommend animals enough. The fur babies will always save your life! If you've got them, focus on them. If you don't have them, rescue one!

If pets aren't something you can/are willing to do for whatever reason (zero judgement), I'd say find your human support system. If you don't have a human support system to speak of, Horror and Cats whenever you need talk. I fought mental health issues for nearly two decades. Still a fight, but I'd like to think I've got a handle on it thanks to meds and other factors. Regardless, you are heard and seen here, so feel free to speak and be visible.

NeoKazuho's avatar

Oh ya.. I prefer silence pets as my companion which I currently do not have.. thanks.. Will look for a small fish to keep.

Horror and Cats's avatar

If you can find a meaningful connection with a fish, that is beautiful. May I recommend a mid-sized lizard? A bearded dragon is silent and will still treat you like its friend 😊

Reptiles have immense personality

NeoKazuho's avatar

Really? I should try this out.. Thanks for the awesome suggestion

MargotCandy's avatar

in terms of silent furry animals, I have ferrets (they are messy though) and my friend has rats and they are both so clever and fun to train. 💖

Sturmer's avatar

Games teach us to tackle big challenges in manageable steps. Here's a typical progression:

  1. Speak with 5 village elders.

  2. Defeat 10 goblins.

  3. Retrieve 7 stolen boxes.

  4. Escort a caravan safely through dangerous territory.

  5. Eliminate 12 wolves and collect their pelts.

  6. Cleanse 3 contaminated wells in the village.

  7. Confront and defeat the area mini-boss.

Before you know it, you've completed the overarching task: resolving the crisis in the Valley. Breaking a complex objective into smaller, actionable steps with imidiate results makes even the most daunting task approachable.

Reason why people get upset, depressed, lacking motivation etc because they trying to tackle or overcome problems which are too abstract. It's not about the final goal, it's about the path to it.

This is the way.

MargotCandy's avatar

I love this. Thanks for the analogy and break down. 💚

Dave's avatar

So you are saying create an epic in Jira for resolving the crisis in the valley? Then stories for speaking to 5 village elders, retrieving 10 stolen boxes. Break these down further to fit into a sprint making sure to define the definition of done.... :)

Sturmer's avatar

Well, it can be stickers on a wall, personally i use Jira yea

NeoKazuho's avatar

Awesome.. thanks for the sharing

Konquest's avatar

I love this way at approaching life. It's sort of like how Kevin Hart put it https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3yPJPnJ7fDE

Sturmer's avatar

Actually, he's discussing something entirely different.

My idea is to break large tasks into smaller, manageable ones and focus on a single, simple activity. Take the goal of walking 10,000 steps a day—that's roughly 5 km or a 90-minute commitment, which can seem daunting. But let's break it down: pick up your favorite ice cream not from a local store, but add 5min and walk an extra half a mile to the next one - there's 2,000 steps. Walk to pick up your kid from school- add 3,000 more. Make a phone call to your mom for 10min and chat while you stroll for another 2,000.

Just like that, you've hit 7,000 steps without even noticing. To finish off, a casual 20-minute walk around the neighborhood will cover the last 3,000 steps. Easy peasy!

Konquest's avatar

ahh… gotcha. So what you’re saying is sort of like chopping up major chores into mini quests with incentives along the way 😁

Sturmer's avatar

That's what video game designers do :))

MargotCandy's avatar

It will sound a bit boring but what I found helps me is going for a walk. Something about getting outside and if you can find some greenery to look at that seems to have a positive effect on the mind.

So building a walk in can really help.

The other basics that slide for me when I’m not doing well is drinking enough water and sleep.

Once those three basics are more balanced again I can look at other positive habits.

I like doing some yoga or going for a run first thing.

Also someone else mentioned creativity. Trying new things like drawing or using air dry clay have been fun. I’m no artist but it’s getting my mind to experience something new.

NeoKazuho's avatar

Oh.. I am the type that in house person so I might try this out.. Thanks for the awesome suggestion

FirestormGamingTeam's avatar

Hello

At the age of 14, I was diagnosed with PPD (Paranoid Personality Disorder) EBD (Emotional Behaviour Disorder) and Hyper Vigilance. I was an emotional, paranoid mess, all the time, to this day, I have a hard time trusting anyone. I take Sertraline & Pre-Gablin every day.

When I melt down, my wife immediately takes me to one side and starts to talk to me. She quickly gets to the bottom of what the issue is and helps me come to terms with it.

However, the day-to-day struggles of MH issues should not be underestimated. But I want you to think of one thing, and that is yourself, in the depths of the darkness of our own human psychology, we often attempt to find reasons for why this is happening, but we often overlook the one person we should be looking at, ourselves.

The other side of this is that we often want friends, but, the friends we have are toxic, they are people who happily lie, and make other people miserable with their problems, and this affects us, so what do you do? How do you handle this in your life and continue a positive attitude to life?

  1. Set daily goals for yourself, even if it's just "do the dishes"

  2. Remove toxic people from your life, it will help

  3. Wash, shave, keep your hair cut, style it in the morning

  4. Stay away from films/TV shows that you associate with pain and pain caused in your past

  5. Only trust those, who have shown they can be trusted and will show you the same respect

  6. Set a big life goal, that you can work to on a daily basis, a reason to keep earning, a new car, new sofa, new PC, new console, set these goals and stick to them

  7. Remember to laugh at little things, watch comedy shows, make light of situations

These are just a few things, for myself, after a lifetime of therapy and goals, that I do, to keep myself motivated in the right direction.

Hope this helps.

tinny_three's avatar

I'm often considered to be a motivated and positive person (and sometimes to a fault), but I can tell you first-hand that nobody is 100% 100% of the time.

Please note that I am not an expert, and if feelings of negativity or melancholy don't seem to go away, it might be worth talking to a professional counsellor or therapist.

All the same, below are 6 practical tips for Positivity and 6 for Motivation I've found useful. The first one in each is something you can do today to start you on your journey.

Positivity

I think the coolest thing I've learned about positivity is that you can trick yourself into thinking and feeling positive. It's easy to understand that by thinking positively you act more positively e.g. you're in a good mood, so you give someone a smile and an ice cream. The surprising thing is that the opposite has been proven to be true: by acting positively, we can trick ourselves into thinking and feeling positive.

  1. Go for a walk in nature every day This is a two-for-one! Spending time in nature is good for us and so is moving our body - they both releasee good brain chemicals that I have forgotten the names of, but it's sound advice, as others here have already mentioned. Personally, if I'm feeling negative, normally going outside or doing some exercise helps me.

  2. Smile and laugh It sounds odd, but if you smile and laugh more, it's been proven scientifically that you will become more positive and relaxed (remarkably, this is the case even when you don't feel like smiling or laughing). It comes down to sending your brain signals that it's not in a dangerous situation, so even just engaging those smile muscles reduces stress and increases happiness.

  3. Remove or reframe negative inputs Whether types of food, too much screen time (especially before bed), or even certain people, removing negative inputs can be helpful. So can reframing them - sometimes just giving yourself a reason not to feel negative (reframing it) is enough of a signal to your brain to make you feel more positive about something.

  4. Pay it forward Doing nice things for other people makes you feel good about yourself.

  5. Invest in your relationships We are inherently social beings, even those of us who are introverts. Our brains are wired to get a positive kick from building relationships. Doesn't have to be a human, as a lot of people have pointed out here.

  6. Try Loving Kindness meditation It's a particular type of meditation that helps you to refocus your mind into a more positive mindset. This YouTube video in particular has helped me.

Motivation

A lot of what people think is motivation is actually discipline and consistency in disguise.

1. Make your bed As a few people have said here, small steps can make big differences, and though it sounds too simple to make a difference, making your bed sets you up for success. Here's the motivational speech I learned this from, it's excellent. 2. Set short, mid, and long-term goals As others have said, break big goals down into more bitesize chunks where possible. However, don't just choose lofty goals, also choose approachable goals that you can succeed in every day (like making your bed!). Small goals beat procrastination, and achieving them makes you feel good and sets you on a path to meeting big goals. 3. What you track, you can change Write your goals down somewhere you see frequently. Track them regularly (set a day and/or time) and be honest with yourself. Sure, you'll miss some days, but people tend to underestimate how much progress they make over time (and forget where they started or how far they've come). 4. Create habits and routines The easiest way you can meet your goals is by integrating them into your daily life. That way, you don't need to re-motivate yourself every day because you've become used to doing something consistently, and so all you need is a bit of discipline to keep it up. Start small and layer them on over time as you find what works for you. 5. Do it for 5 minutes If you're struggling to start, tell yourself you'll do something for 5 minutes and give it a go. You can stop after 5 minutes, but quite often you'll trick yourself into doing something for longer, and every second counts! 6. Focus on the present (and future), not the past "The best time to plant a tree was 30 years ago, the second best time is today"

I hope this helps!

Lanah Tyra's avatar

Hi fellow in house person :)

As much as I know how good a walk can be for us, usually the furthest I would go is to sit with my coffee by the open window or in the garden / balcony, as I live at an area where there is no nice park or anything to go to, and going outside would just make me even more miserable. But opening the window and letting some fresh air in while you take a moment to just be and not do anything can do wonders.

I also have a "power setlist" with about 10 songs which at the time I find motivating and listen to this on my way to work or first thing in the morning on a weekend if I feel like it's not going great and I want to get into the mood of being productive.

Most of my friends I know from online communities, so also for me spending a lot of time gaming or still chatting to people online before bed is spending time with friends. Even though I shouldn't be looking at screens just before bed, I still do it because for me it just works and it means quality time with people who actually care about me.

When I was having a hard time and didn't really know how to get from one day to the other I bought concert tickets so I always had something to look forward to and whenever I was feeling low it was a reminder to look at and say oh yes I still have this to go to and it will be great, I can't give up yet.

As others said before, breaking tasks and goals down into very small, easily achievable steps is very very important. You can feel lost or overwhelmed if you are looking at the big picture and don't even know where to start. So try to focus on things which are near, small and achievable things to do. Some days that might be tidying the entire house, some days it can be just getting up and changing out from your PJs.

And it's okay to have a bad day, or a day when you are not productive. Allow yourself to rest and do nothing, so your body and mind will both get a chance to recharge and set a small goal for the next day and make sure to do it, it will make you feel better as you did something to "make up" for one lazy day.

Appreciate the small things. I have a folder called "There are good things in London" and saved some photos there I took of sunsets by the river, parks, fancy cars I saw, a drink I had after a long day at work, so whenever I felt like I hated to live there, I looked at that folder to remind myself it's not all bad.

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