What to Do When You Don't Want to Do Anything

 

What Is Apathy? Apathy is when you lack motivation to do anything or just don't care about what's going on around you. Apathy can be a symptom of mental health problems, Parkinson's disease, or Alzheimer's disease. It often lasts a long time.

How to Motivate Yourself to Do Things You Don't Want to Do 

Lower your anxiety.
Benefit someone who you care about.
Lead to financial gain.
Avoid a negative consequence.
Make you feel good about yourself.
Clear your mind.
Align with your values.
Reduce stress.

steps to getting remotivated

Accept how you feel

The same can happen if you try to fight your 'I don't want to do anything' mood. Low energy and low motivation are important messages you need to pay attention to. If you ignore them, or push yourself to stay busy, the messages may become louder and stay with you for longer.

Make (small) plans
Share what you feel
The takeaway

Have you noticed how sometimes, the more you try to ignore an emotion, the stronger it becomes? This is because emotions are more than just feelings: they carry a message that wants to be heard.

“Use your 'I don't want to do anything' mood as an opportunity to take a break, and don’t feel guilty about it, because obviously you need it in order to get back to your usual self.”

So, if you don’t feel like doing anything, accept that this is your reality – today. But notice that I wrote 'today'. Because here’s the caveat: acceptance is a good strategy if you see your demotivation as a temporary setback, but it’s not a wild card to complacency. In other words, don’t use acceptance as an excuse for long-term self-pity or self-sabotage.

When you don't want to do anything, planning for the future can be overwhelming. But staying stuck in the present will do little to improve your mood and energy levels. Ideally, you want to keep an eye on the future in a way that feels manageable. This is important, because having a vision for the future is essential to motivation: as humans, we’re created to make plans and be involved in projects.

You can try to choose a few actions that require planning, like going for a hike or an overnight camping trip, redecorating a room in your house, or preparing your favourite meal. When you’re demotivated, doing any of these things may feel like too much, but the key is choosing something you’d normally enjoy – or have always wanted to do – and visualizing the entire experience. Picture each step, how it will make you feel, create momentum through visualization, and then make the plans needed to make it happen.


When you feel down, thinking that nobody is there for you or that no one understands you can make things worse. You may not want to 'bother' friends or family, or you may think that they won’t have a solution to your problems, so what’s the point, anyway?

But again, this is a matter of treating yourself like you’d treat your loved ones, so seek the comfort you need. This is valuable, even if you don’t get a magical solution that makes everything right. Studies have shown that sharing our concerns can help reduce emotional pain and become less reactive to negative events.
 

• If you’re stuck in 'I don't want to do anything' mood, remember that this too shall pass. Take this as an opportunity to rest and practise self-compassion, trying some of the suggestions listed in this article. With a bit of patience, you’ll hopefully overcome this and be back to your usual self. However, if you don't seen improvements in your apathy and lethargy, do seek help from a medical professional.