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For what I believe is the first time since I made the conscious decision to be a person in recovery, I have been struggling to the point where it’s difficult for me to function yet have the ability to hide it to an extent when seeing people in person. I’m usually a very hard worker and always try to be as productive as possible, but lately I’ve been struggling to find the motivation to do what I need to do. I feel like I keep making excuses for myself. I’ve been having such a difficult time focusing. I’m having to get used to taking things slow and praising myself for getting small tasks done.
How do you deal with loss of motivation and decline of functioning?
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Dealing with a lack of motivation is really difficult. I know this from personal experience. I wish I had the answers for you, Amily, but I don’t. Instead I want to remind you to be patient, gentle, and kind with yourself. It’s easy to try to push yourself too hard and be too critical of yourself when you’re feeling down. Try to look at your situation from an outside perspective. When you find yourself having a difficult time getting something done ask yourself “How would I respond if a friend confided in me that they were struggling with this?” If you would be patient with a friend struggling with similar circumstances then you deserve just as much patience and understanding.
I definitely can relate to this. I am just learning myself how to push through, no matter what. I know there are days when it seems completely impossible. At first it was impossible for me to stay clean. Impossible to not use heroin. Then it was impossible, like you said to find motivation. I have spent most of my life feeling exhausted and lethargic or like a million pounds. So, for me, there are two things I MUST do each day: 1) Not use drugs and 2) Get out of bed and go to work. oh, 3), brush my teeth lol. and trust me, those 3 are a major battle sometimes and some days, I don’t notice the struggle. I really appreciate your share because I said to my friend today, “It feels good to be clean today” and by that I meant I don’t always notice it. THat feeling is recovery, its gratitude, its getting better, its hope, its spirit, its love, sunshine, I could go on and on. Just keep pushing and fighting no matter what! It will get better. Days are long, weeks are short and you are worth it!
Thanks for sharing!
True that there’s only so much you can do on your own. We need people and emotion for real success.
Staying motivated despite everything else that is going on in our personal lives and around us, is not a bed of roses. Its difficult and the consistent fear of failure (which has its pros) can sometimes make things worse.
There isn’t a simple answer… besides my music, my art, the good people I know, there are those moments where nothing seems to work, but its important to remind yourself that you shouldn’t give up- just keep going. Things change!