I asked this question on LinkedIn in a couple of groups I am in. Here are some of the awesome responses people gave me. Read them and let me know your favourite ones.
I go in the nature and just observe all around. than I start to feel better and can smile…the rest comes easy after that, and if it isn’t enough listen to music that makes you feel good, dance or sing if possible.
Bringing back those beautiful moments when happiness had no competitor
Or do something beautiful like listening and relax with music, writing poetry. The main point is to destroy the starting idea that is making me down and replace it by a beautiful one.
What I tend to focus on is my earlier years when I was the happiest at that time and place, and then listen to the music.
Go for a walk or a bike ride..something about fresh air getting the cobwebs out of the mind..starting a creative process..or go visit a friend you haven’t seen in a while..even if it is a crabby neighbour..They need you more than we realize.. as my friend Tom told me today.
Sometimes in these situations, I remind myself of the past; of where I came from, and where I would be if I had not made certain positive changes for the better. This inevitably leads to remembering the lives I’ve touched, the people I’ve helped over the years, and those who were there for me when it counted.
I am one of those living examples of the saying:
“When you’ve reached the bottom, the only way you can go is up.”
When I wake up, I tell myself it’s going to be a good day, I then dig deeper, to what excites, what makes me happy, why I believe I’m here, doing what I do! Thinking of the reward I’ve set my self also helps i.e. going on holiday.
This is a really good question. I know what it’s like, I’ve been there. The key is positive thought and try to think about situations in a different way. One good piece of advice is to keep a pad of paper by your bed and before you go to sleep write down 3 things you are grateful for from your day. Also when you have meetings at work focus on the positives not the negatives.
Finally, you need to start to make yourself feel good again. Exercise is great here. Get out in the fresh air- go for a walk, a jog, a bike ride-something you enjoy. Combine this with good diet, 7-8 hours a night and drink plenty of water. This will make you feel refreshed when you wake in the morning and provide you plenty of energy. Remember no energy, no motivation!
I have two little kids: 3 and 8 year old. My life has a lot of sense, if I spend time with them: experience how much energy they have, their curiosity, full of desire to discover everything. Especially when I realize what I mean to them. The moments my little girl calls me Daddy, I forget everything else.
And also a “thank you” from someone makes my day. If I think about it, it comes down to enjoying the little things in life. Little things that are actually the biggest things. Living in the moment. Appreciate what is now and not dwell on what I have not yet reached. That helps enormously. Just by writing it down at this moment, I feel 10 times better right away.
This is a good one! Yes, it is a good one.
When I am down-spirited, I do the following to
get myself motivated once again.Revise and proofread any of my book manuscripts.
Search for online bookstores where my book, Mathematical Encounters is sold.
Through searching I discovered that Mathematical Encounters has been listed on over 1,500 online book outlets. Through seaching, I discovered that Mathematical Encounters is available at amazon, B&N, Foyles, Waterstone’s, Powells, Gardners, Take2, uread.com etc.Through searching I discovered that Mathematical Encounters is available in seven continents except Central America (to my knowledge).
* Check the traffic on my blogs and hubs.
* Tweet.
I cannot go ‘really down’ anywhere. I don’t allow myself to. Life is too damn short to even let in a trickle of sadness. When you work for you, when you enjoy what you do, there is no room for ‘down’. Positive aspects, thoughts and achievements will get you out of bed in the mornings and rolling down that path so fast you wont have time to feel down.
There are many great ways to stay positive or shift to positivity. I just released my book “Positivity on Purpose” that lists over 40.
Gratitude is one that has been very important to me. Start making a gratitude list and list EVERYTHING! If you are so far down that you can’t even accept being grateful for being alive or being able to write, etc… then it’s time for step two.
Go donate your time to those less fortunate. It is nearly impossible to continue to focus on what is negative within your life when you are helping others overcome what their challenges are.
And one more, tell someone else how much they mean to you. Focus on giving them your full energy and love at that moment. When they respond, take every bit of it in and absorb the positive energy.
What a great question! Every morning and every night I say all of the things I am grateful for, when we put aside time to think of all the wonderful things we have in our life, we come up with a HUGE list! When I have so many things to be grateful for, that always puts a smile on my face – and when I am happy I tend to be more focused and on purpose!
I also have a baby girl, and she lifts me up every day!!
This is a great question. For me if I do find myself down and not motivated it usually is from a lack of gratitude. I look for the things that I am grateful for in my life and that will usually lift me up and help me appreciate the little things life has to offer. I also like to read inspiring stories of people who have had challenges way bigger than my own and yet they have found a way to over come them.
A very interesting question. I do a few different things it all depends, sometimes you know why you feel down and at other times you don’t. I have a very good sense of when I am slipping into a low and I have mastered a few strategies which work really well for me.
For starters my logo at Distinctly Different is a ‘red tick’, a positive sign, the kind which used to make you feel on top of the world when you got them at school for doing really good work. I have red tick badges which I wear and give out to clients. Except you are lucky these days growing up and getting on is what life expects you to do and you are hardly acknowledged, so I choose to ‘acknowledge me’ and encourage others to do the same.
Then there are times when I get so overwhelmed by life and everything seems to be going wrong, at these times I just stop and have a good deep and soulful cry (it feels really great to let out the pain and pent up emotion), crying is good and its a natural response so why suppress it? My cry is my private thing between me and my maker and we resolve a lot of issues during the process. After a while of crying and working things out in my head I can’t even remember why I was crying any more, and all the things which were insurmountable disappear.
At this point I start appreciating all that ‘I do have’, ‘all that have gone right’ and I am able to arise from the abyss of feeling low with my sights set very high and with the determination to conquer. I resolve if I’ve achieved a success before I can do it again this thought excites me and I get to it!
Let me know which one is your favourite.
About Jane
Thanks for answering my question, Jane, and for this post. I enjoyed reading it. The best comment of the guy who find motivation in counting how many stores sell his book))) As for me, I pray when I am down…
when i am totally down i have a special video i watched to get a good moon. this video is called “the secret”. also to better motivate yourself you must know what can make you happy easily (some music, game or more). very great article and i appreciate your help for people to better control themselves.
I loved what Carol Kappes and Zin-Eddine Dadach said because this is what I do! Think of my past, all the good times and that brings back a smile! The next thing is to think of all my dreams which I have to make come true! That is powerful enough to get me going!
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When I feel down I try to empty my head from all the thoughts, I put my helmet on, I hop on my bike and go to the mountains. After a nice half hour leaning left and right on the curvy road, I stop by the lake and for 2-3 hours I just stay there watching the surface of the water.
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Usually What i do is sleep and have a rest.Get a pen and a paper right the issue.And write down solutions for it.There was a time I used to cry over things but not any more.I consider failures as experience and motivate my self to work again.
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Hi jane,
All responses are pretty good…
When im totally down i prefer to listen music and think about what i had precious moments in past..it makes me to refresh my mood…
It really depends on the reason for being down. Sometimes that pain is a sign that you need to do something or make a difference. If you can’t do that, pause, tell yourself that now is not the time to worry about it, then ask yourself what steps you can take to make things better or prevent such things from happening in the future. Then, take them.
When I feel depressed, I prefer being alone for some time – a day or two. And then I prefer taking up something new – new ideas, new projects, new innovations and challenges to cope with.
But only for a few minutes and then – I start a new page in my life.
I can cry sometimes – very loudly but when nobody sees it
I Think motivation is needed for Success.
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Hi Jane,
When I am feeling totally down I allow myself to feel that way for a while. Then I watch or listen to something inspirational like Rocky or The Pursuit Of Happyness.
Then I get up, dust myself off and go back in there. A never say die type of attitude.
oh btw, I LOVE your formatted page end there, with the share icons, related posts, and the ad all integrated.
I saw the same on Ana’s site – I assume you did this for her too?
I want I want.
Can I order part 2?
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Nice and timely post Jane, it’s been one of those weeks.
Thanks for sharing
Alex recently posted..Integral Points For Capturing And Keeping Your Blog Audience
Take a shower in longer time and listen to soft music is my choice when I am down.I have never totally down
Yes! We must embrace what we’ve got, and NOT what we are without. A pessimist once told me “ahh, but what if I compare what I’ve done and NOT done. Then I dispair”.
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Getting exercise is a big help. It can also help prevent you getting totally down. http://cuteoverload.com/ can also help.
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What? . . . no one even mentions prayer?!
The source of my strength, of love, and of life itself is NOT withing ME. If I focus beyond myself and my own transitory misery, ask for those things that I need, and though my own cup appears to be nearly empty, give what I have to others, I find that I receive much more than I give.
God is good, and he never runs out of the things that I need.
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Hey Jane, Those are all great. I love to get away and spend 20-30 minutes in quiet meditation myself. it always makes me feel better.
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These are great things. I generally prefer solitude to ponder over what is making me feel low. I then try to find out ways that can keep me happy and engaged during that time. Listening to music, especially instrumental also helps a great deal.
That’s superb !!!!! These all thoughts made me fully motivated to do something new.
Wow !!
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Thanks for this post. I thoroughly enjoyed reading it. We all feel down at some point of life. At that very point we require a motivator which can help us to overcome the sadness. In my opinion music is the best motivator, the lyrics of the song or even the instrumental music heals the pain. When nothing works, music provides the much needed solace.
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Very Nice Article Jane, All Needs Inspiration To Motivate Themselves But If You Look Around Yourself You Will Surely Find Someone That Motivates You.
(dofollow)
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I think listening to motivational media including songs, movies is one tip
another tip which is more powerful than the first is to accept what make you down and to live with it and let go