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| Photo courtesy of Fotolia |
Some
days vibrate with so much energy in the environment it is literally impossible
to sit or stand still. We are enthusiastic about everything going on around us
and can’t wait to get in on the action, ourselves. In our enthusiasm, we accept
requests to take on new projects or tasks. Our mojo is so strong, we are confident
that we can—we will—accomplish even Herculean
feats, and we do just that. Indeed, as Sir Isaac Newton’s Law of Motion states,
“An object in rest tends to stay in rest and an object in motion tends to stay
in motion.” The same is true of human behavior, too. You have probably heard or
know of the expression, “Ask a busy person” to do a task. This law applies here
because someone who is already active, even frenetically busy, can somehow
always find a way to do one more thing.
And
then there are other days when it
seems like nothing can motivate or inspire us to do anything, at all. We sit at
our desk at work shuffling papers, organizing the filing cabinet, checking
e-mail and re-reading the first paragraph of the document that’s been sitting
on our desk since the morning. We take repeated treks to the break room to get
another cup of Joe, hoping that a not-so-brisk walk down the hall and more
coffee just might kick-start our energy enough to do something productive. It
doesn’t.
The problem is,
when you are rewarded in some way for not doing a behavior, the subconscious
mind may create a new mental script to support this new known (source of pleasure or comfort) in your life. The reward may
be inferred, such as your boss didn’t yell at you to get back to work; or maybe
your employer just accepted your subpar-quality project without comment. If you
already follow a subconscious mental script that is programmed for you to
always do your best work, you may breathe a sigh of relief that you got away
with it today but get back to working hard tomorrow. Conversely, if you
generally have difficulty motivating yourself and did not suffer any negative
consequences not working so hard today, you may conclude that this behavior is
really okay. The more times you are able to avoid doing a task or project, or
get away with producing an inadequate product, you will reinforce this behavior
and ultimately create a new mental script that compels you to not do something. (For more information
about this process and John Kappas, Ph.D.’s Theory of Mind, read my blog, “Why
Being Uncomfortable Feels Comfortable” at http://calminsensehypnotherapy.blogspot.com/2014/02/why-being-uncomfortable-feels.html)
Following are
some suggestions to help you get moving when you find yourself “stuck” in
motivational inertia:
·
“Chunk” it down. This Neuro-Linguistic
Programming technique is very effective because it enables you to break down
whatever you are working on into manageable tasks that can easily be
accomplished.
·
Use the Emotional Freedom Technique (www.emofree.com) to break through the
conscious blocks that are preventing you from settling down to or focusing on
your work.
·
Take a brisk walk around the block. Consistent
with Newton’s Law of Motion, once you start moving your body, it is easier to
keep it (and your mind) active. Ten or fifteen minutes’ of exercise is a great
way to raise your energy so you can be and feel more alert when you get back to
work. Not only are you likely to discover that you are better able to focus on
your job but this productive time spent away from your desk has even inspired
some new ideas as well as your motivation.
·
Watch what you eat. When your blood-sugar level
drops, you are vulnerable to experiencing physiological symptoms such as
headache, nausea and weakness, as well as increased levels of anxiety and
irritability. Furthermore, in his work with people who developed phobias, Dr.
Kappas observed that low blood-sugar levels could trigger a phobic response and
increase the person’s suggestibility. If you are already stressed out because you
have a lot of work to catch up on, have a healthy snack or meal that includes
some form of protein, which will help to mediate your mood. Also, avoid
caffeine, which can exacerbate those symptoms and increase anxiety.
·
Hypnotherapy! Hypnosis and therapeutic guided
imagery are effective, natural and drug-free modalities with which to motivate
you (or re-learn how it feels to be motivated to do what you want and need to get
done.
Sara R. Fogan, C.Ht. is a certified hypnotherapist based in
Southern California. She graduated with honors from the
Hypnosis Motivation Institute in 2005. For more information about
Calminsense Hypnotherapy® and to set up an appointment, please visit http://www.calminsensehypnotherapy.com/.
© 2014
