HOW TO KEEP MOTIVATED ALL THE TIME

Key facts

• Motivation is the drive to achieve your goals or needs.
• Motivation is important to break old habits and to develop healthy ones.
• Many people struggle with getting and staying motivated, especially if they have mental health conditions such as depression or anxiety.
• You may find it helpful to set specific, measurable goals that you can divide into small step
• Ask your family and friends to support you and help you stay motivated.

• How can I stay motivated?

  Here are some tips:

  • Regularly review your goals and progress. Seeing progress is a great motivator in itself, and also improves your self-esteem.
  • Continue to set new goals. Think about what you want to achieve next week, next month and next year. Tackle one goal at a time so you don’t feel overwhelmed.
  • Keep the momentum up. It takes most people about 2 months to develop a new habit, but for some people, it can take much longer. Keeping the momentum and routine helps it feel more automatic over time.
  • Find mentors, for example, someone you look up to who is experienced in the habit you want to change. Finding social or support groups with the same interest can help you find a mentor.
  • Surround yourself with positive people. Positive friends and family enhance your positive self-talk. This also helps to manage the symptoms of depression and anxiety.
  • Use exercise as one of your daily goals to improve your mental health.
  
  

• What to do if you lose motivation

  Setbacks are normal, but developing resilience can help you carry on and continue from where you left off.

  Here are some tips to help you find your motivation again:

  • Review your goals and see if they are realistic in the timeframe you have set. You may need to break your goal down further into smaller and more achievable goals.
  • Remember why you wanted to get motivated or reach that goal in the first place.
  • Take motivation from others – feel inspired by reading a book. Talk to your mentor, or friends or family who have reached similar goals to the ones you have set.
  • Sometimes you just need to take a break and start afresh.