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bed. T hen, get up and nicely make your bed, leaving the troubles behind f or the day. Making the bed is essential in this process, as it signals to your brain that there isnt an option to get back in the bed f or the day. As you make your bed, it can also be helpf ul to imagine the troubles youre lef t behind dissipating as the covers are pulled up. 4) Wash Up T he more routine-setting steps youre able to add on af ter you make your bed, the better. Try washing your f ace and brushing your teeth to help wake you up. With these kind of steps youre training your brain to understand that youre getting ready f or something, rather than simply a day laying around. 5) Get Dressed T his is a crucial step in separating f rom the bed to the day. Sitting around in pajamas on the couch is still possible, even if you escape the bedroom. Getting dressed decreases the urge to lounge, because again youre reinf orcing in your brain that youre getting ready f or something. 6) Go Outside T his can be one of the toughest steps f or people who struggle with depression actually leaving the house. One of the problems with this step is that people are easily held back by not having a place to go. Okay, I can go outside..but then what? So f or this step, the idea is to not have a place to go. T he goal is going outside, not the particular place you go once youre outside. Go outside, close the door behind you, and do whatever comes to mind a walk around the block, down the street, pacing in f ront of your house, getting in your car and driving on an errand, and so on. It can be anything or nothing at all, but the goal is to spend at least ten minutes outside bef ore going back in. 7) Choose One Exercise Getting your body moving is a good way to start f eeling better. Choose an exercise that works f or you: walking, running, swimming, jump-roping, etc. Whatever you choose to do, make it a point to do it every day when you go outside. And if its an indoor exercise (like a treadmill), do it bef ore you go outside. 8) Make a List of Activities Brainstorm activities that youd enjoy doing. Include things to do at home and out with people. Try to generate a list of things that includes others and that gives you some time to yourself . T he activities can be a mix of productive (e.g. work-related) activities, and hobbies, and self -care. 9) Schedule Activities Schedule the activities throughout the week. Try to plan out either one or two weeks ahead of time and actually write the activities into your calendar with specif ic days and times. Spread them out as much as possible and make sure to stick to the schedule. 10) Daily Necessity Schedule T his schedule is if youre having trouble getting motivated to do your daily activities such as eating, cooking, showering, or other household chores. For this, youre creating a daily home schedule. Choose the specif ic times youre going to do each activity every day. It can be as specif ic as you f eel you need: time to get dressed, brush your teeth, start cooking, eating, showering, turning of f the tv bef ore bed, and so on. T his is to help you get your daily necessities actually f unctioning on a daily basis. 11) See Family and Friends T his one is more about the people than the activity. Being around other people is of ten helpf ul f or mood improvement. Schedule specif ic dates and times with f riends and f amily, outside of the house. T he more you can remove yourself f rom the environment of depression (usually the home and bedroom), the better chance of overcoming it. 12) Psychotherapy Its important to keep in mind that the desire to stay inside and and lay around isnt what causes depression it is a symptom of depression. Psychotherapy remains a necessary step throughout the process of dealing with depression in order to prevent f urther episodes, reduce severity, and hopef ully be rid of depression altogether. Even if we can resolve some of the motivational issues through pushing ourselves to take behavioral steps, the internal issues that are causing the depression still need to be addressed. Otherwise, when our motivation drops, the depression may return if we dont have a handle on the underlying issues.
Whats most important to keep in mind is that youre not going to feel like doing anything discussed above. If youre going to wait to f eel like it, then it may not happen. Using opposite action will be the necessary f irst step to conquering depression knowing in your mind that it will be good f or you to take the steps to move f orward, and just doing it. By also engaging in psychotherapy, youre still able to give appropriate attention to whats happening inside of you, including if medication therapy may (or may not) also be helpf ul. You do have the power to increase your motivation and to break out of depression. It may take some ef f ort, but the opportunity is there f or you to reclaim your lif e. Nathan Feiles, LCSW is a psychotherapist in the New York City area. In his private psychotherapy practice, Nathan Feiles works with individuals, couples, and groups, specializing in relationships, depression, anxiety, lif e adjustments and transitions, stress reduction, migraines, f ear of f lying, divorce, and phobias. He is also the f ounder of the NYC Migraine Group, and runs separate groups f or Divorced Parents; and Divorced Men. For more inf ormation about Nathan Feiless work, including a complete list of services, please visit his website at http://www.nyclif eandrelationshipcounseling.com Like this author? Catch up on other posts by Nathan Feiles, LCSW (or subscribe to their f eed).
APA Reference Anonymous. (2013). 12-Steps to Creating Motivation When Depressed. Psych Central. Retrieved on March 31, 2014, f rom http://blogs.psychcentral.com/relationships-balance/2013/01/28/12-steps-to-creating-motivationwhen-depressed/