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Self Care

Missing Your Motivation? Here’s Why

September 28, 2021 By madisontt

Image credit: https://unsplash.com/photos/E75ZuAIpCzo

Do you ever find yourself staring at your to-do list, intimidated by its size but too overwhelmed to begin checking off boxes? Yeah, of course you do.

Motivation in our daily lives can be extremely hard to come by. There are some days where you feel like a superhero as you plow through your tasks like some unstoppable machine, and then there are days where you feel like that unstoppable machine just ran you over. Those days, motivating yourself to get things done feels impossible.

Everyone wishes on those days that motivation could come down deus-ex-machina-style and spontaneously inspire us to tackle the day. However, on the days when motivation is missing, it may be less important to focus the absence of motivation and more important to look at what other needs are not being met.

Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs

Twentieth-century psychologist Abraham Maslow proposed the theory that human needs are intrinsically prioritized and that some needs must be fulfilled before others can be of concern (Maslow 1943). He proposed that needs are more or less hierarchical in nature, with survival and safety most basic, lying at the bottom of his famous pyramid of needs, and more abstract requirements such as self-fulfillment and psychological needs towards the top.

Maslow also examined how these needs relate to our sense of motivation in life. Maslow’s original hierarchy included five layers of needs–physiological, safety, love and belonging, esteem, and self-actualization–each of which must be fully satisfied before the next layer of needs could be tackled. He concluded that we are motivated by our needs, whether these needs are tangible or psychological, and that motivation to continue ‘upwards’ will be absent when lower needs are not met.

Although Maslow eventually adjusted his theories to be less rigid—he later withdrew his belief that one stage of needs must be fulfilled entirely for those above it to be acknowledged—there are many critiques of his theory and his research methods. Nevertheless, the concept of psychological hierarchies remains an arguably vital piece of modern-day understanding of psychological motivation.

Why Am I So Unmotivated?

Taking a page out of Maslow’s book, it is important to consider what other things you feel when you find yourself lacking motivation. Although motivation sometimes feels fleeting, your motivation is likely drained because some of your other physiological and psychological priorities are unmet. The unsatisfied needs could be related to your environment, your relationships, your emotions, or something different altogether.

This post by Grace Blair originally appeared here.

Filed Under: Blog Tagged With: Mental Health, Mindfulness, Moods, Nutrition, Self Care

Mental Health Awareness and Support

September 20, 2021 By madisontt

Image source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Simone_Biles_Rio_2016.jpg

As not only a mental health professional but also a fellow human, I applaud the incredible courage, strength, and self-care shown by Simone Biles for her decision to withdraw from the Olympics’ gymnastic final due to prioritizing her mental health. The overwhelming support for her decision by The International Olympic Committee, USA Gymnastics, and her sponsors helps pave the way for society as a whole to reduce the stigma attached to mental health issues.

Mental Health in the Spotlight

We can all benefit from having mental health back in the spotlight. Personally, I hope the trend continues as we need to dig deeper into our wells of empathy and compassion, along with confronting our fears with curiosity and a desire to increase our understanding. It’s shocking to witness the subsistence of so many misconceptions, stigmas, and shame around mental health and invisible illness—particularly at a time when so many of us have experienced extra mental health challenges during the last year and a half of pandemic life.

I’m constantly saddened by how our society is much more likely to feel empathy for what we can visually see as an impairment or injury, while mental and emotional suffering is so often disbelieved, dismissed, and untreated. Treating so many patients with mental health disorders and/or TBI’s after car accidents, I often struggle to convince insurance companies to cover treatment costs when the injuries are invisible. When a mental health condition is left untreated, it often leads the sufferer to feel further isolation, sink into a deeper depression, and can lead to suicide. The call to action is long overdue.

Athletes Are “Human, Too”

Professional and Olympic athletes, performers, and those in the public eye face extraordinary pressures to deliver inspiration and entertainment on a daily basis, often at a high cost to their own physical and mental health. Some may argue that the fan adoration, prestige, fame, and money they receive in return make it a fair exchange. However, the value paradigm is skewed. If suffering is inevitable and pain is optional, as the great Dalai Lama once said, do we not bear responsibility for one another to do what we can to protect and support those brave enough to call “uncle” and reduce their risk for further harm or pain, be it physical or emotional?

We relish viewing, living vicariously through, and celebrating others’ skills, talents, and accomplishments. It, therefore, likely serves all of our best interests to provide the same support and care which we would want to receive. Having the opportunity to thrill at the immense talent and wonderous physical prowess of an Olympic athlete should never be at the cost of that athlete’s great suffering through physical or mental health injury or emotional distress. As Simone commented in an article in NBC News, “We’re human too.” We must not forget that. We must remember our common humanity. We are not machines. All of us, Olympian level or not, are complex beings with a need to intricately balance our minds, bodies, and souls with what we wish to achieve in our lives.

It’s Okay to Note be Okay

I’m pleased to hear that there are increasing mental health supports for athletes, but much more support is needed in all fields. We need to fully comprehend that the unfortunate emotional suffering of one of our greatest Olympians results in mental anguish for us all—the least of which being that we will not have the pleasure of seeing her compete as she normally would.

We can and must do better at prioritizing our mental health, along with our physical health. We cannot continue to separate the mind, body, and soul as they in fact comprise one entity—our whole being. I’ve mentioned it many times this past year, but it bears repeating: It’s okay not to be okay. It is only through allowing ourselves to be open and vulnerable and acknowledging when we feel anxious, overwhelmed, or afraid that we have the chance to overcome emotional distress and feel better.

We are here to thrive and fully enjoy both our mundane and miraculous physical and mental achievements. This is an opportune time to increase our efforts to provide mental health supports, continue the dialogue around mental health issues and find ways to reduce misconceptions and stigmas, on an Olympian level. It’s time to go for gold!

This article by James F. Zender Ph.D. originally appeared here.

Filed Under: Blog Tagged With: Mental Health, Self Care

How to Become More Laid-Back

November 14, 2019 By madisontt

laid back

You feel like you’re always moving, you’re constantly obsessing, you have never-ending to-do lists. Oh, to be able to slow down, be more laid-back and less driven without having to get stoned or drunk.

[Read more…] about How to Become More Laid-Back

Filed Under: Blog Tagged With: Mental Health, Mindfulness, Moods, Self Care, Tools

Self Care 101: 10 Ways to Take Better Care of You

October 17, 2018 By madisontt

As a clinician, I often refer to self care as a huge part of what’s missing in the life of someone who’s busy and stressed.  So what is self care?  Self care in essence is the mindful taking time to pay attention to you, not in a narcissistic way, but in a way that ensures that you are being cared for by you.  [Read more…] about Self Care 101: 10 Ways to Take Better Care of You

Filed Under: Blog Tagged With: Mental Health, Self Care

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From the Blog

Aspects of Culturally Competent Care That We Don’t Talk About
(But Need To)

October 5, 2021 By madisontt

Missing Your Motivation? Here’s Why

September 28, 2021 By madisontt

Mental Health Awareness and Support

September 20, 2021 By madisontt

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