I'm tired. I don't do anything, I'm lazy, lack willpower, etc., etc. What do I do?

[InThisTogether]

A few questions to consider:
Why are you judging your laziness as bad? Furthermore, why are you labelling your inactivity as laziness? Why do you think you should be doing something other than what you are doing right now. I underline should because to me that's a red flag word and indicates that we might be judging ourselves by a standard other than our own.
I should get a job (why?)
I should go to school (why?)
I should exercise, clean my house, get up off the couch etc (why?)
Some thoughts to consider:
If you can provide your own personal answers to any of the "shoulds" that keep harassing you then maybe that's a clue to your purpose. If "shoulds" reflect other people's values then perhaps you should ignore them.
I think sometimes trying to define a purpose and create this big life plan can be a little overwhelming and can have the effect of throwing us right back onto the couch in the fetal position unable to face up to it all. Especially if we're doing it because we think we should. Forget about the future for now, because really, all you have is now. Choose what you will do now. Not because of a should but because it's what you choose. If you choose to stay on the couch then do that, honour that, own it, be happy about it. In the next moment know that you have a fresh opportunity to make another choice. If your choice in the next moment is to get up off the couch but the most you can really commit to is getting up and putting your shoes on then do that. You can always decide in the moment after that if you will actually step outside the door or not.
I took up running a little over a year ago, and often that's how my training runs happen. On the days I'm not feeling motivated I literaly narrow my focus to putting on my shoes, then stepping out the door, then doing a 10 min interval etc. It's knowing that at any moment I have the choice to stop and walk home that actually keeps me going.
"Be gentle with yourself. You are a child of the universe, no less than the trees and the stars. You have a right to be here" (yes I borrowed that but it helps me sometimes when I'm being hard on myself)
Change "I should" to "I choose to" and narrow your focus to the only moment that really exists, that's now. I think you'll find it will help and you'll be happier. Best Wishes.

[rawxstasy]

Do you think you might be depressed? Depression can mask as tiredness.

Also look into adrenal fatigue. Amazon.com: Adrenal Fatigue: The 21st Century Stress Syndrome (9781890572150): James L. Wilson, Johnathan V. Wright: Books

I read this book and took the steps and I am doing so much better. Before that, I couldn't get myself off the sofa. I felt completely drained.

I think your problem is not just from lack of motivation but nutritional and mental.

[mrthejazz]

I think you're getting a ton of good feedback. I think laziness creates more laziness. During college, I would sometimes sleep for 10 hours a day, now I'm closer to 6-7, and I'm arguably more productive. Start by deciding on just one action. Every time you feel the urge to put something off, say in your head,

"Do it now, do it now, do it now."

If you do it, that's one thing accomplished. You will feel good for it, and you will probably want to do more.

You know, one thing that increased my own focus and willpower is having kids, not that I am suggesting it as a solution to your problem. It's just that when you only have a few hours a day to yourself, you learn how to maximize the time you spend. I think that's also why the military has traditionally helped discipline people. When somebody else determines your schedule for you all day, you start to crave doing your own thing. It brings out your passion in you, because you start thinking, "Well, I want to do something else."

Maybe find a way to fill your schedule up with someone else's plans and if it turns out to be something you don't like, maybe that resistance to it will propel you forward.

It's a crazy idea, and I don't even know if it makes any sense. Frankly, I'm not at the top of the personal development totem pole either. Best wishes to you.

[glow]

Originally Posted by templanoid

Hi all,
This is my second topic in a long time here, but I hope someone can help me. While this post might sound lieka joke it really is not, I'm just lazy to expand much.. it's *really* a problem.

So I'm 24, I haven't had a job in over a year.. I was supposed to go study.. but kept putting it off until recently when I started applying.

I can never be bothered to do anything. I'm lazy, I always feel tired. I barely feel like wanting to be productive in any form.. I'll sleep where I can and love being on the Internet all night long reading sites like this or wikipedia or chatting away or watching some movie...

I have no willpower, I lack desire and I feel like I'm extremely lethargic.. I am not worried enough about my future and I'm not intelligent enough to enter a good university, so I just choose to go to a normal one that will accept me and go on with life as it takes me ... I have no plans or any sense about how my life will be directed.. and basically I'm more or less totally lost and I really cant be bothered to think much..

Hell, I can't even think of typing properly here since I feel so lazy. I've reached levels where I believe my natural energy levels are so low.. that this laziness is in my genes (I've always been lazy, right since my early childhood from my memory)..

Now I've reached the point where I'm thinknig the only way to change myself is probably to change my diet so I feel more energetic.. and even have looked into nootropics to lift away my brain fog and make me have more clarity, and have more desire to look, plan and work towards my life and the future.. I've tried ritalin before, and it does make me more productive and want to work, but sometimes it also makes me feel terrible (anxiety, emptiness, physical discomfort) so I've decided to stop it and look for alternative sources that work better..

I know this is an important enough of a problem to seek help.. but still I'm not so worried about it .. i just think about it sometimes, realized that it's a big problem, occasionally get worred about it.. and in the end I do nothing to fix it.

I need to know what I have to do in order to fix this? Is there anyway out for me? Do I have to struggle on with this lack of stamina all of my life and drag my feet to do anything? Or can food and nootropics fix me up?

I've tried finding my passion before it didnt work.. and I dont have much self-discipline.. i've read about half of steve's article.. but I just can't be bothered to finsih reading it or even do it.. even if i did finish reading it .. i know i'll end up not doing it.. I've been told a lot about what I should do.. about how i should "simply do it".. but by this point I feel totally hopeless in doing this and I don't know what to do.. I feel bad

Hello templanoid!
You took a very important step by overcoming your lazziness to analyze & write down your situation & reaching out for help on this forum! Congrats for taking this step!

I'm glad your test came back fine.
I can relate to what you are going through. I've been through it.
Here's my understanding of it...

You've been in this state for so long that you've become very comfortable in this uncomfortable state of existence. You have backed off from any attempts to overcome this state of existence because you've got to overcome the mighty inertia of being inactive for so long.
Any attempts to overcome this state must be consistently followed for a period of time. It will feel very uncomfortable to push yourself to do anything during this time.
And the truth is, the longer you wait to begin, the more lazy you'll become!
Here's what I suggest you do: put thoughts like these on hold : "Things are not worth the effort. I'm just not bothered, I'm not bothered to feel like there's nothing I can't do.. "big deal" is what I think.."
For now, let them me. Don't resist them, just accet them and allow them to be.

Next, take a very small action forward right now. It could be anything.
Tomorrow, take another small action. Decide on some small task and just do it. Don't overengineer it. Don't wait to do it. Don't wonder if its the right step to take. It's not important what those little steps are. Right now you only want to begin taking small steps.

You'll loose sight of this very easily. So write down on a paper and put it up somewhere you'll see that you'll take a small step everyday. No matter how small the step is. And you don't need to be sure if it's the best step to take.
If you like, you can post the small steps you take here.

Third thing I suggest you do is remove Wikipedia and other sites you visit from your bookmarks. Except this one ofcourse.
Lots of passive websurfing makes me lazy, and I think it might be true for you too!


You'll feel a little more alive when you take actions like these. I know I did. And that feeling will grow & last longer as you begin taking small steps. Infact you have already begun to move! You posted here! You went to your doctor for a blood test! You keep comeing back here to reply!
Don't resist any negative feelings like stress, lack of concern or anxiety, that come up when you are taking actions. Allow them to be. Focus on your steps. And soon you'll be glowing with positive enregy & motivation to do something!

I really hope me, or some of the other poster, AND you yourself are able to help you get moving!

Good luck!

[lalimircci]

I would really suggest you having a full blood test, especially checking your TSH levels and overall productivity of your thyroid gland.

I was recently diagnosed with hypothyroidism and the diagnosis was the answer to my physical and mental state at that moment: constant fatigue, laziness, lack of drive to do anything, brain fog.

To work on the problem we have to point the reason of the problem. I'm not saying that it is, but sometimes the reason can be very physical.

[vytas80]

If you have lived with such an attitude a few centuries or more ago you would already be dead by this age.

Imagine a wild animal with the same personality as of yourselfe. Too lazy to hunt for food, unmotivated to defend its territory, lack of willpower to look for suitable shelter. From the pure evolutionary standpoint such an animal deserves to die. So are you.

Too bad our modern society and welfare systems support individuals who contribute nothing are lazy and all they do is suck titty. Please do a favor to society and contribute something (there are a lot of people arund that could use your help) otherwise I just go and kill self.

[russianrocket]

Originally Posted by vytas80

If you have lived with such an attitude a few centuries or more ago you would already be dead by this age.

Imagine a wild animal with the same personality as of yourselfe. Too lazy to hunt for food, unmotivated to defend its territory, lack of willpower to look for suitable shelter. From the pure evolutionary standpoint such an animal deserves to die. So are you.

Too bad our modern society and welfare systems support individuals who contribute nothing are lazy and all they do is suck titty. Please do a favor to society and contribute something (there are a lot of people arund that could use your help) otherwise I just go and kill self.

Yes, but can't it also be said that modern society created these individuals, not only support them? If we were animals or lived 200 years ago, we more then likely wouldn't have gotten in this situation in the first place.

[mlj]

Hi

I know a lot was already said in this thread, so I just wanted to add, and say keep doing positive things that will bring you out of your slump.

Cardio does help, and sometimes just making yourself do things, will actually do the trick. Most of us have struggled with your situation, and are still going through it.

Make yourself do things, even when you don't want to do it, and before you know it, you have started a new routine.

Experts say it takes 21 days to break a habit - so even though it is hard and you say you are low on will power, keep making yourself do positive things and you will see positive results.