How to feel motivated to work when you are feeling depressed?

Depression is surely a negative emotion! And it can reach out to impact so many areas of our lives; not just emotional, but also, physical. So often, it even affects our psychological, social, and even our spiritual lives.

Oftentimes, when depression sneaks up on us, we find ourselves wondering "why?" We may not always be able to pinpoint exactly where it came from or why it appears to have such a control over us. I believe it is more important to first focus on how to get rid of the depression, rather than figure out where it came from.

Before we go any further, let's look at some of the more common symptoms of depression. You already mentioned some in your question (headaches, inability to focus, bothered thoughts). While we do not all experience every symptom of depression on the checklist, these are perhaps some of the most common: A loss of energy, daytime fatigue, poor sleep, increased/decreased appetite, weight changes, difficulty feeling pleasure, decreased motivation, a sense of hopelessness, helplessness and worthlessness.

Whew, that's a lot to consider! But wait, there's more.

Physical symptoms quite often include mild to blinding headaches. Muscle pain, nausea, and acute gastrointestinal (stomach) changes are also frequent players.

In addition, it is not uncommon for anxiety to go hand-in-hand with depression.

Also, problems are often reported with immediate and short-term memory loss. We see people with either racing thoughts, or slowed down decision-making and poor concentration.

No wonder depression often leaves us feeling frustrated, irritable, or outright anger toward others. And, sometimes, toward ourselves.

Sometimes, we decide to ignore all of this and deal with it on our own, without anyone's help. This does not always work out well. In the middle of a depressive episode, we do not see things as clearly as we'd like. We may think we are seeing things as they are, but in reality, it's more like we are surrounded by funhouse mirrors.

So now that we've looked at what depression is, what can we do about it?

I like to suggest beginning by setting one to three short-term acheiveable goals daily. These can be as simple as bathing, changing clothes, taking a short walk, or interacting with family and friends. It may not seem like it at first, but once small goals start getting accomplished, they often lead to larger achievements. And larger achievements, can often help us get rid of depression.

I hope this helps answer your question. Scott E. Persinger, LCSW