8 Simple Ways To Increase Motivation When You’re In A Slump

Motivation like most things in life comes in waves. There are days when you feel on top of the world. You go through the day checking one thing after another off your to-do list.

Then there are the days when you barely have the energy to pull yourself out of bed. Even the most simple tasks can feel overwhelming and you may feel stuck and unsure of how to pull yourself together and get your life.

You’ve been there? 

You’re not alone!

In this post, I’ll be sharing why we often lose motivation and 5 ways to increase motivation when you’re in a slump.

Why We Lose Motivation

We can all agree that life is hard and there are many things that can cause us to feel down in the slump or lack the motivation we need to accomplish our goals. 

I’ve had enough experiences to reflect and realize that although there are many things that cause us to lose motivation, there are common themes that crop up often. I have found the main culprits to be the following:

1. Trying To Do Too Much At The Same Time

We live in a society that glorifies the idea of being busy. It’s almost as if you are branded as lazy if you are not juggling more than one thing at once.

Can we all agree that the hustle mentality is cute and all but it can easily lead to burnout when we don’t have the proper checks and balances in place.

Learning to ask for help when you need it can prevent things from getting out of hand.

2. Unmet Goals And Expectations

I’m all for the idea of setting big goals and doing everything you can to achieve your goals.

But what happens when you do all the right things and you fall short of your own expectations?

Maybe your business didn’t make as much as you would have hoped. No one signed up for your program. It’s easy to lose hope and start to lose motivation when things don’t work out.

Unmet expectation can cause you to lose hope and motivation if you attach your value to external factors such as metrics and goals. Instead, realize that you are whole and perfect just as you are. You are enough. You have always been enough. You will always be enough.

3. Comparison

Comparison is a trap that many people fall for. Especially in the online space. We often compare our reality to other people’s highlight reel. When you don’t level up, the temptation to give up can start to creep in.

Instead of listening to those voices inside your head, realize that you were created by God to be completely unique. Noone else on this planet has the same gifts and talents as you. And no one can use their gifts in the way that you can.

The only person you should be comparing yourself to is your former self. Seek to improve every day. When you look back and see how far you’ve come, that alone is motivation to keep going.

4. Impatience

We all do this at some point. We start something and start to look for results right away. Maybe you’ve seen someone grow their youtube channel in 3 months. You’ve been doing it for 3 years and you haven’t seen the progress you would have hoped for.

The problem is, success takes time. And a lot of times, we are using someone else’s timeline as our own measure of success. Continue to do the work and be consistent, at the right time, what’s yours will come to you.

5. Disinterest

Sometimes we lose motivation because we are doing what we think we should be doing as opposed to what we truly want to be doing. 

Before you start anything, it is important to be really clear on your why. Why is it that you want to start this new endeavour? What would it mean to you if you were to succeed. Once you know this, then ask yourself why that is important to you.
You need to do a lot of self reflection to discover those things that really matter to you.

I’ve found that when you are walking in alignment with your purpose, it is more difficult to lose motivation.

Ways To Increase Your Motivation

Now that we know why we often lack motivation, let’s dive into what you can do to boost your motivation and get yourself out of the slump.

1. Accept Where You Are

Like they say in AA meetings, the first step is acceptance. Acceptance that you are in a funk and that you are not where you want to be.

Acceptance that things are not ok and in fact it is ok to not be ok.

Acceptance that everyone gets in a slump every once in a while and right now, this is where you are.

No matter what kind of slump you find yourself in, you can always start by accepting and acknowledging your current situation.

2. Journal

Once you come to an understanding of your current state, it is helpful to start by doing some reflection.

Free writing and journaling is a great way to get your thoughts out of your head and unto paper.

I start to ask myself the following questions:

• What’s wrong?
• What area of life are you most frustrated with right now?
• What do you wish things would look like?
• What would you do to get to that dream destination in your state of mind?

Begin to work through your current situation and see if you can identify how you got to this point and how you can get yourself out.

Finding the cause will help you work through how to improve the situation.

3. Unplug & Get Some Rest

When you are in a slump, it’s difficult to dig yourself out if you don’t get the rest that you need.

The world won’t stop if you don’t get the laundry done today.

And yes, that email can be sent tomorrow.

Were so used to being on the go and checking things off our to do list. But sometimes, its ok to unplug from everything (including social media).

You won’t find motivation by doing the same things that got you stuck in the first place. So learn to listen to your body and take breaks when you need to.

When you get tired, learn to rest.

4. Renew Your Mind With Positivity

Sometimes all we need is a mindset shift. We often underestimate the power that an uplifting song or motivational quote can have to lift our spirits. I have my go-to motivational speakers and uplifting music for when I’m feeling down. However, a simple google or Youtube search will get you a ton of inspirational content to improve your mood and wellbeing.

You can also renew your mind by using affirmations to speak positively over your life.

5. Practice Gratitude

Gratitude is such a powerful force and has been repeatedly been proven to be associated with increased happiness.

Incorporate a daily gratitude practice into your morning routine.

A gratitude practice doesn’t have to be complicated. You also don’t need to use an elaborate planner or journal for this purpose. Simply reflecting and thinking of things that you are grateful for is a great place to start.

No matter how small it seems, if you are grateful for it, think about it.

And if you feel like it, try writing it down or taking a picture of it as a visual reminder.

6. Take Small Action Daily

When we think of where we would like to be, the distance between where we would like to be and our present reality can feel very far when you are in the middle of a difficult situation.

If that’s the case for you, why not try breaking things up into smaller and more actionable steps.
Focus on climb just one step today instead of thinking about how you will climp the whole staircase.

Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.

Matthew 6:34

7. Reflect On Past Victories

Many people lack motivation because they underestimate their own abilities.

The best way to overcome this is to think back and reflect on past successes.

Think about how far you have come. It may not seem like much when you look at where you presently are, but when you think about where you started, it may surprise you to realize how far you have come.

8. Give Yourself Grace

The most important thing that you can do for yourself is to give yourself grace.

When things don’t work out, learn from the situation and then let it go.

It’s nearly impossible to find the motivation that you need to succeed when you are too hard on yourself.

Final Thoughts

We all experience setbacks and challenges at some point in our lives. How we handle these situations is more important than the situation itself. This tips are a great place to start to increase your motivation. I hope you find these tips helpful.