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Lacking Motivation? It is Avolition, This is a situation that a lot of us can identify with: feeling as though you are driven to complete tasks, but eventually your motivation wanes.

You feel as though you have completely lost interest in, drive for, and excitement for completing tasks on your to-do list. Deadlines are set and missed, and a mountain of emails, chores, and projects pile up.

Anyone can experience a lack of motivation, regardless of their level of ambition. Whether they are a Type A, get-it-done person or not, It turns out that this more widespread, severe lack of motivation and interest in completing tasks has a clinical name: avolition.

How Does Avolition Work?

Success coach Wendy O’Connor, PsyD defines the inability to initiate and pursue goal-directed behaviors as avolition.

While anyone can experience diminished or absent motivation temporarily, mental health professionals closely associate avolition with certain conditions.

Avolition features a profound, long-lasting lack of motivation that mental illnesses like depression, bipolar disorder, and schizophrenia frequently cause.

Avolition differs from fleeting motivation lapses resulting normally from life’s ebbs and flows. Mental health professionals actively link avolition to disorders instead of transient periods.

Professionals actively observe avolition accompanying illnesses, more so than isolated motivation gaps.

In contrast to occasions when motivation wanes temporarily, avolition actively resists recovering without treatment for its underlying cause.

Clinicians actively note this active, entrenched lack of initiative and persistence in goals actively correlates to certain diagnosable conditions over temporary setbacks.

While your lack of motivation might not be cause for concern, it is best to get a proper diagnosis from a mental health professional. Do this if you feel that it is negatively impacting your life, relationships, or general well-being.

They can help you determine whether the problem is simply a temporary drop in motivation. You could also discover something more serious that requires attention and additional support.

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Why Do People Find It Hard to Stay Motivated?

It is simply unrealistic to expect to wake up every day full of energy and motivation, according to O’Connor, regardless of whether you are struggling with anxiety or a general lack of motivation.

“It is more reasonable to anticipate that motivation will fluctuate in tandem with the weather and to have a more successful plan for achieving success, happiness, and fulfillment,” she says.

In today’s society it is becoming more and more common to have diminished motivation, whether or not you are dealing with a mental health issue.

Motivation, according to O’Connor, can be thought of as something that can be useful but is frequently unpredictable, like waves in the ocean because they come and go.

She says, “Too many people in our society feel overwhelmed, confused, stressed out, and even burned out, which is a common reason for having little motivation.”

When there is insufficient clarity about what to pursue or the energy to pursue a life with meaning and purpose, this can cause shutting down and a drop in motivation.

Our culture puts a lot of pressure on people to aim for success rather than happiness in their lives.

How Does Avolition Feel and Appear?

According to O’Connor, “Avolition can look different for people.” “For some people, it might entail not answering emails or messages.

Others may see it as simply lounging around for several hours or even days without doing anything.

It may also appear to others that you are neglecting your hygiene and care. It can even feel paralyzing, as there seems to be a marked lack of interest in acting.”

When Is Avolition Something to Worry About?

When you cannot seem to find any motivation at all, whether it be small or large, it might be time to find out if you have a more serious case of abolition.

“Seeking support could be a good idea if you notice that your lack of interest, motivation, or ability to pursue your life does not seem to be temporary,” advises O’Connor.

How to Overcome a Lack of Motivation

Consider Using Behavioral Activation

This activation is a recommended treatment strategy by O’Connor if you have been diagnosed with avolition related to a mental health condition. 

Behavioural activation is a commonly used cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) skill in which individuals intentionally practice particular behaviours to achieve an improved state. 

For example, if you are having trouble getting motivated, you can attempt a “fake it till you make it” strategy by beginning the task you are afraid of.

People frequently believe that to initiate an action, motivation must come first; however, this is frequently not the case.

Taking even the smallest step toward achieving your goals can spark motivation and make the task seem easier than you initially anticipated.

This is sound advice for anyone who struggles with avoidant tendencies, lack of motivation, or procrastination, even if they are not dealing with a specific mental health issue.

Give Yourself (brief) Breaks

O’Connor advises you to permit yourself to take a break from your goal-oriented actions.  It may help you ward off burnout, which is something that can squelch motivation in a hurry. Taking breaks may help you reset and find trickles of motivation once again.

But don’t let these breaks go on for too long, or they’ll start to affect your ability to pursue a functional life (taking too many breaks may translate to not doing the task at all!), she says.

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Look for a Counselor

When it comes to therapy, seeing a therapist or psychologist could be a good idea if your life is significantly affected by decreased motivation. This is true whether you just want to talk things through or need help getting a diagnosis.

If motivation is completely absent, you can also discuss medication options with your psychiatrist or primary care physician.

Get Help from those you Love

A therapist can undoubtedly play a role in your support system, but overall, according to O’Connor, any kind of support can assist you in returning to healthy routines and practices.

Check to see if your closest buddy is willing to serve as your accountability partner. Share your objectives with your partner and ask for their assistance in achieving them.

Even if you are not in the mood to socialise, O’Connor advises surrounding yourself with encouraging people. Lacking Motivation? This is what you need.