Do you have any advice on how to start things and be motivated when suffering from depression?

Hi Dan,

I want to first start by saying I am so grateful that you have reached out for support and to get some guidance. I can imagine that taking this step has been especially hard since you are struggling with depression and lack of motivation. 

My very first recommendation to build up motivation when you are experiencing depression would be, start small. If your current approach to tackling goals is to look at the whole picture, you may notice that you immediately feel overwhelmed and anxious, which may lead to feeling discouraged and giving up before you even start. Instead I would encourage you to break down bigger goals into more realistic and manageable pieces, such as "do 5 jumping jacks by the end of the day", "put my feet onto the ground as soon as my alarm goes off", or "read one paragraph for school". As you build off of these "small" accomplishments you may notice your motivation increases. You may want to check out SMART goals to help you break down your goals. Here is a link to explain them in greater depth https://www.mindtools.com/a4wo118/smart-goals

The next thing I would recommend is showing yourself compassion and patience, while also considering your values and what is important to you. I would also encourage you to challenge any "should" thoughts you may experience. For instance instead of thinking "I should be able to get out of bed and study for this exam, it isn't that hard!" or "It shouldn't be so hard to exercise, I did it all the time!" it may be more helpful to think "I am struggling to get out of bed, I want to feel prepared for this exam." and "Getting back into a workout routine feels impossible, I have done it before and can take small steps to get to where I want to be." Something else that I believe is so important is making sure you are putting effort into things that are meaningful and important to YOU. If fitness is important to you on a personal level it will be much easier to work towards that. You may find this helpful in explaining the importance of doing things that are meaningful - https://www.verywellmind.com/differences-between-extrinsic-and-intrinsic-motivation-2795384

I hope this response was helpful for you and wish you nothing but the best!

I will attach a couple more articles that may give you some further guidance/ tips:

https://www.betterhelp.com/advice/depression/how-to-feel-motivated-when-you-have-apathy-depression/