Being Unmotivated is part of being human and can be compared to emotions that come and go.
It is 100% normal to have days where you do not want to do anything and fittingly as a student athlete there will be days where you should listen to your body and do just that.
Mid season however, is not a time where an athlete can afford to fall into an unmotivated slump and this is where we must use ANY physical activity to generate what I like to call “motivational momentum”.
The key to overcoming being unmotivated is to grind through the initial reluctance to start simply by getting the ball rolling.
Change not only the scenery but change the sport.
A tired, overthinking brain can be very loud and will give you 100’s of excuses if you let it . Try instead to silence your brain and substitute your sport for a different activity.
One easy way to trick your unmotivated mind is to substitute regular practice a with low risk, low impact sport that still generates blood flow and increases the heart rate.
The endorphins from any type of exercise will flip the initial switch to stimulate your mind into a more positive state.
For some athletes this may only take a few days, for others a few weeks.
While it is clear forced action generates motivation I prefer to give a lethargic mind a rest from its usual focus and still reel in the benefits of exercise to stimulate motivation to return.
I always encourage injured athletes to still attend practice , observe and use it to stay motivated in recovery where rehabilitation activities can mind numbing and boring. Do your rehab not at home but at the same training venue and along side your teammates.
If you’ve tried all of this and there has been no change and you still have zero motivation and derive no pleasure from activities you once loved, it may be time to talk to a medical professional as there may be another cause contributing to your unwillingness to fire the motivational momentum.
Anhedonia is a mental health condition that is described as simply a loss of enjoyment in activities that were once pleasurable. This is a condition that action will not correct on its own and it needs professional support.
Remember motivation is not a skill, or part of your personality it is bi product of what we do.
You’re not lazy , you are normal and if you need additional support it is always available 💜
Coach B