How to Stay Motivated When You are Down

I opened my computer hoping to write a post. But all I could do was stare at the screen. My mind felt blocked. My brain felt blocked. I had a couple of ideas on what to write for the blog. But no words came forth. My brain felt dead literally. I was going through the worst case of writer's block I ever experienced.

I really wanted to keep going but I just couldn't. I felt heavy. Like I had been bound by some negative forces. I wanted to do nothing. Nothing.

I only wanted to go to my bedroom, shut the door and lie there.

But... my to do list. I had a long to-do list waiting to be fulfilled. Kids had to be homeschooled. Dinner had to be cooked. Recipes had to be tested. Videos had to be shot. Decluttering had to be done. Laundry had to be folded. Dishes had to be washed. Yada yada yada!

My to-do list was overflowing. And the more I turned around and saw the mess in my home, the clothes everywhere, the particles on the kitchen floor and all the things that were in the wrong places, the more I felt miserable.

Will I ever be able to do all these things? Will I ever have a stable life? Maybe I should just abandon everything and run away!

Miserable moments. They happen. Sometimes life is all rosy and nice but sometimes, you feel like you are choking. You feel like you are not good enough. You feel uninspired to do anything. Sometimes life hits you hard with so many challenges that motivation sounds like a distant cousin.

So how do you get your motivation back? How do you keep going even when the odds are against you? How do you pick up yourself and move on?

Because I have been in the place of lack of inspiration and lack of motivation too many times, I thought I would share with you some things that have helped me. I am not in a perfect place of always being motivated (does that place even exist?) But here is how this mama gets her groove back in spite of the mess around her.

1. Rest

I cannot stress the importance of rest enough. If you do not rest, you will break. I have learned this the hard way. Always rest. Continual hardwork without pausing to rest will only leave you feeling unmotivated and not wanting to do anything.

2. Think positively

Your thoughts are so powerful. So powerful that scripture says our lives are outcomes of our thoughts. Whatever you think is what you will become. If you keep thinking you can't. then you won't. But if you think you can achieve any goal then you certainly will. Whether thinking about your goals or anything else, try to think positively.

3. Podcasts

Podcasts are life! I listen to podcasts about life, blogging, I hear people's stories and their journeys and they really inspire me and encourage me to keep going. I have an app called "Cast Box" on my phone on which I am subscribed to my favorite podcasts.

4. Surround yourself with people, materials and videos that inspire you.

Sometimes the wrong company will leave you feeling heavy and not willing to move forward. Surround yourself with people who are go-getters and take life seriously. If you surround yourself with lazy uninspired people, you will definitely become like them.

5. Talk to someone about it.

It helps just telling a trusted friend or partner that you feel low when you are low. Sometimes sharing our burdens helps to make us feel relieved.

6. Pray.

I find my greatest strength in the place of prayer. There is nothing like connecting to the Father. It stirs up my spirit and pushes me to wake up and live life like I should.

Finally, note that you won't always do everything you want to do and that's okay. But you can wake up and face life fiercely. You can have a positive attitude and stay on top of things. You can live live fully the way God wants you to. So tell me, how do you stay motivated?