Are you a motivated and driven person? Do you have lots of ideas but little inspiration to take action? Maybe this is something you’ve struggled with for a long time. Or Maybe it is something that you’ve just recently started to experience. Either way you are not alone. And there is nothing wrong with you. I have also been experiencing this recently and I have some ideas about why I am so uninspired and 3 ways to feel better, which might resonate with you too.
Work
Like most people, who are career driven, I tend to give my all to my work. I give my projects my full attention and all of the energy I can. I want everything I put my name on to reach a certain standard. And whilst I don’t think this is necessarily a bad thing, I think we need to be careful with it. An employee is only one of the things I am. My work is only one part of my life. Striving to give 100% at work, means I have little left for the other parts of my life. When I give my all to my work consistently, I notice that I feel very drained in the evenings.
I feel uninspired to do the things which are important for me. That could be anything from hanging out with friends, to going to the gym or practicing a new hobby. All of these things bring joy to my life. However, in the moment, I don’t feel like doing them. Honestly, after a productive week at work, I struggle to stay awake past 8pm on a Friday. That is no way to live.
Remedy: Remember What Is Important
To combat this, I focus on what is important. What I mean by that is instead of thinking that I have 100% to give to my work, I am acknowledging that I only have 100% to give to my life. And work is only part of that. I recognise that I may not get quite as much done in a day, and remind myself that there is always tomorrow. After all, careers are a marathon not a sprint.
This means, I have some energy left over for other aspects of my life. I have the energy to go to the gym. I feel inspired to work on some of my personal projects. And I am a better friend, sister, daughter and girlfriend to be around as a result. It’s great to be driven by your career but we have to remember, on our deathbed, we are probably not going to worry about the project we ran in 2022. Instead we will be thinking about how we showed up for the people around us. And how we showed up for ourselves by prioritising joy and happiness. This is what is truly important.
Prioritising Others
I’ve always been conflicted by what I am about to talk about. Should you prioritise others and live a life of service? Or should you prioritise yourself because in order to be able to help others, you need to be well yourself? My own life experience tells me that the former is idealistic and the latter is realistic.
When I feel drained and uninspired, I realise that I have been prioritising others consistently over myself recently. Personally, this simply means putting someone else’s wants and needs ahead of mine. For example, if my friend invites me out for an early breakfast on a Saturday morning, I will accept that invite as I don’t want to let her down. What I really need though, is a relaxing, lazy Saturday at home, to recharge.
Remedy: Take Time to Recharge
Like most people, I need time to recharge. And if I don’t allow myself that time, I am useless to everyone around me. I cannot do my best work and I am not fun to be around. By prioritising my own needs, I am able to then bring the best version of myself to others. And very often that is the driven and inspired version.
I enjoy an evening to myself to get some exercise endorphins from a light workout followed by a chilled night with a movie or book, a cosy blanket and some scented candles – Sand + Fog, my absolute favourite! So if you are feeling uninspired, try giving yourself the chance to recharge, whatever that means for you
Giving In To Bad Habits
We all have bad habits and we all indulge them from time to time. There is no harm in that. However, if you are feeling uninspired and you don’t want to feel like that anymore, it’s a good place to start. The interesting thing for me is, usually, giving into my bad habits happens as a by-product of working too much and not giving myself time to recharge. For me, bad habits include things like not eating well, not prioritising fresh air and exercise daily and staying up too late.
Remedy: Commit To Change
I do all of these things when I feel like there is not enough time in the day. It feels quicker to order take out than to cook because I am already tired and it’s late. I know I should get outside but I’m too tired and it is dark and cold. Ideally, I should go to bed early but all I’ve done all day is work. I want to do something fun like watch a movie. So I stay up late and feel worse the next day.
When I feel uninspired, I look at how I’ve been living for the past few weeks. If I notice a trend in any of these areas, I prioritise making a change. And I do it, even if I don’t feel like it. After a couple of days, I always feel better. Your habits are probably different and your remedies too, but it always helps to reflect on your choices.
Feeling uninspired from time to time is normal, especially if we are constantly trying to live every aspect of our lives at 100%. Let’s remember to give ourselves a break. Ironically, slowing down helps us to get going again. When we feel inspired we can do our best work and be there for the people we care about. If you have any tips on why you feel uninspired and how you deal with it, please let us know in the comments below.
If you don’t find any of this is helping them maybe it is something a little bigger. In that case you might like our post 8 Ways To Help Yourself When You Are Feeling Lost.
Sign up for our newsletter to become a part of the Suddenly Thirty community - stay up to date on new posts and community events!
Pingback: 5 Signs It’s Time To Start Looking For A New Job -