As anyone with depression can tell you, there is no force more powerful than the ever-present darkness which looms over your head during an episode.
It can suck all trace of motivation from you. Leaving you, at times, even unable to get out of bed in the morning.
However, life doesn’t stop for depression and your goals and dreams along with it, so if you’re trying to stick to a regular workout– or anything else– you’ll need to know how to get yourself moving even when you’re down.
The ironic thing is exercise has been shown to help quite a bit with depressive symptoms. However, if you can’t get yourself to go workout, it’s not much use.
And that’s really the struggle with depression when it comes to motivation. We all procrastinate, that’s perfectly normal. But depression intensifies this and magnifies it several times over, becoming something much more than just procrastination.
But it is possible, with the right process, to make it far more likely that you’ll be able to push yourself up to workout.
And every time you get yourself going it becomes easier, not just because working out makes you feel a bit better but because you remember how it made you feel– and that memory is a powerful motivator that can pierce through the darkness like a lighthouse.
Here are some tips for motivating yourself to workout if you’re depressed. Start super small
Starting small is probably the most important point of all because of how depression works.
When depressed, not meeting your expectations can send you spiraling into a pattern of self-doubtand self-blame that is very difficult to get out of.
Instead, set very small and easily attainable goals– like doing ten push-ups, jogging once around your corner, or walking up and down a flight of steps once– that will then motivate and encourage you to do more.
And don’t worry about starting small slowing your progress. Like the inventor that asked for one grain of rice to double for each chessboard square, if you build on each sequential step then very quickly you’ll be wherever you want to go in your workout and fitness goals. Don’t worry about doing it every day, just condition a routine
You don’t have to do something every day to make it a habit. I know when most hear that it’s a pretty big relief.
The truth is what matters far more is that you’re consistent, not perfect.