Recharging the battery: How to overcome laziness and return to activity

In the fall, a state of laziness is especially common. Sometimes you don't even have the strength to get out of bed in the morning, let alone work/study, household chores, and other activities. How to overcome this and what are the causes of this condition? Let's look into it together with the experts:

Psychologist Lilia Chernykh defines laziness as a lack of desire to act, which occurs either because of accumulated fatigue or because of disorders in the emotional sphere. "In the case of accumulated fatigue, it's a little easier than with disorders in the emotional-will sphere. If your laziness is caused by this factor, then it is, first of all, a requirement of your body. That is, the first thing that decisively needs to be done is to rest. Restore your resource with quality physical, emotional, and cognitive rest. A minimum of activity, the most relaxing movies and books, and baths will bring you back to life.
But it's important to understand how you ended up in this state. And there's only one answer. Excessive strain at home or at work, resulting from a systematic violation of the regime of work and rest. Eliminate this cause can be reduced by reducing the load, first. And secondly, clearly establish a regime of the day, work and rest, sleep and nutrition, and strictly adhere to it.

Also, do not forget about the little pleasures - make a list of what you love, what you like, let these pleasures be large and small, and actions and objects - anything. The main thing is not to forget them, to pamper yourself regularly and not to deprive yourself of the pleasures that give you strength. But it's important to remember that even in pleasures you have to keep a limit.

Not a bodily reason

The emotional sphere, according to the expert, things are a little more complicated. "Emotions can be classified as: strong-weak; positive-negative.
Functions of emotions: Signal - allows us to quickly assess the situation. Communicative - helps us communicate and act together. Formation of behavior - allows us to evaluate the importance of a particular human need and serves as an impetus for its implementation.

On the last function, let's dwell in more detail.
Emotions can be stenic - motivating to act, activating, exciting and asthenic - depriving activity, strength, paralyzing the will.
That is, laziness - the result of asthenic emotions. To cope with it, it is necessary to find out what you think when you are lazy and what you feel in connection with it, what emotions you experience. Conduct a reflection. It is your thoughts that shape your emotional state, which then shapes your behavior. Thus, by changing your thoughts, you will shape a different behavior.".

Gratitude for laziness

Integrative psychologist and tarologist Olga Goncharova considers laziness useful. "It performs several functions at once: - it signals a decrease in the actual resource of the body, including hormonal, - it protects against overload and excessive energy expenditures, - it indicates a lack of nutrients in your diet, - it protects the psyche. There is, however, another reason for total (!) laziness and powerlessness - witchcraft and evil eye. But this is quite rare," says Olga. She adds that it is important not to reproach yourself in moments of laziness, but to thank your body for its work:

"1. Physical reset. Write down at least 3 (or better 5) ways to thank your body through physical activities: it can be a massage, painting, billiards, shooting gallery, buggy race, swimming in the pool, walk in the woods, dancing, sex, sauna, beauty treatments, lying in the tub with foam, ice cream and fruit, etc. - whatever feels good for you. Choose what your body is asking for NOW - and do it. Not as a task and a job, but as a GIFT. An infusion of gift and gratitude is very important! The perfectionist workaholic's brain may start to resent it: they say you don't need it, it's useless, you don't have a single extra minute to pamper yourself... Believe me, that voice is not yours! Press reset and go rest!

2. Hormone Status. If laziness and moping are long, it makes sense to pay attention to your health. Chronic profound laziness and apathy can signal abnormal functioning of the thyroid, pancreas, adrenal glands. You should get tested for hormones and consult an endocrinologist (not a psychiatrist). Go to yoga (preferably aero), start running and doing breathing practices - they will naturally help to normalize the hormonal background (if there are no pathologies!).

3. Vitamins, macro and micronutrients. Autumn and spring require, first of all, a good cleansing of the body (fasts are not invented for nothing), and secondly - saturation with vitamins and trace elements. If you're too lazy to consult a nutritionist or nutritionist, just build your daily diet on the principle of the rainbow: the more products of different colors and varieties will be present, the better. Remember oily sea fish (this is a treasure trove in general), unrefined vegetable oils (grape seed, olive, sesame, flax, pine nuts, avocado), different varieties of legumes (including sprouts), meat by-products, vegetables, sauerkraut, spices and any greens. Choose your favorite foods that are rich in tryptophan (a precursor to serotonin, the happiness hormone) (natural whole milk, tuna, turkey, oatmeal, cheese, peanuts are the leaders). Eat BEAUTIFUL food and enjoy!

4. Psychological reset. The load on the psyche of people all over the world right now is just the wildest. Turn off the news, and turn on positive motivational movies, soulful and deep. "Peaceful Warrior," "Avatar," "Till I Play in a Box," "Lucy" - make you think about universal values and principles. That said, love melodramas are not the best choices. Their "happy endings" are often far from reality.

5. Autotraining and motivators. They should work on an unconscious level! Dumb repetition and persuasion will do nothing. Therefore: - Find yourself 3-4 short and invigorating phrases, print them out on sheets of bright paper and hang them in the places where your eyes fall most often during the day. Your brain will record and self-correct your condition. - It's the same story with photos. Find a few of your photos where you are happy, joyful, active, at the peak of emotional and physical lift. Hang them up prominently.

6. Goals. Yes, "The Way is More Important Than the Goal," but only by going to the Goal does one live! Set yourself a big life goal. Break it down into larger pieces. These into smaller ones. These smaller ones into weekly and daily goals. Write it down or draw it. And every morning, get up with the thought of the great Goal of your life and the task for today.

Practicing psychologist Pauline Tsvetkova proposes to make a list of activities that can lift your spirits and enter a "resource" state: "It can be anything: to clean the house, take a shower, take care of the plants, brew and drink hot tea, cook your favorite meal, wash your hair, do makeup, take a walk, and so on. And it's important that these are things that are easy for you to do, so that when you look at them you don't think, "It's complicated...". When you've made yourself such a list, start trying and evaluating how you feel better after each activity. You can create for yourself an internal scale of your condition. For example, right now you feel "energized" at 4 out of 10, but you want to feel 7. Looking at your list, guess which activities would make you feel better by 3. Don't look for any one activity, it can be several. For example, taking a shower (which you feel will raise your mood to 5) and going for a walk (another +2)."

Attention to your physical and emotional well-being has always been and continues to be the key to feeling well and having a long-lasting supply of energy.