Since the outbreak of COVID-19, we all have had our fair share of days when we find it hard to get out of bed and stayed in our pajamas doing nothing constructive. As our lives are getting back to normal, we struggle to feel motivated or energetic to carry out daily chores and activities, which we previously looked forward to doing. This lack of interest can be an early sign of depression. Therefore, it is necessary to distinguish between them and act on them.
An individual who is lazy consciously chooses to decline to do a task because it requires a considerable amount of effort to put into its successful execution. Rather than doing the task, they would find themselves engaging in something which requires less concentration to put in. The motivation of not doing the task also could be traced back to the fact that there is no immediate gratification if the task is done on time or the time estimated to do a task is calculated wrong. For example, one may feel that not waking up early to exercise, one day will not have any difference in achieving overall long-term fitness goals. The other reason could be that the individual feels that their performance in the task will anyway be unsatisfactory, so why bother doing it? This fear of not performing up to the mark could be attributed to low self-esteem or deep-rooted fears due to past experiences and unresolved emotions. It is best to seek professional mental help to overcome it as if left ignored it may start to affect the overall well-being of an individual.
Depression on the other hand is also characterized by feeling demotivated and disinterested but the main difference here is that it happens unconsciously. For example, a lazy person will acknowledge the fact that their room is dirty and needs cleaning but will choose to postpone it sometime in the future. A person suffering from depression will not even register the fact that their room is in a mess and needs cleaning.
Laziness can be easily misinterpreted as depression, it is important to understand few distinctive symptoms of depression one should look-out for early detection.
Symptoms:
· Feeling sad or have low mood for over two weeks
· Decreased self-esteem
· Easily get irritated and lose calm on others
· Feeling hopeless and difficult to ask for help
· Having self-harming thoughts or trying to attempt it
· Loss of interest in tasks, which one used to enjoy earlier
· Avoiding social contact
Treatment:
To overcome the cycle of laziness, one can try carrying out the following activities, and if the symptoms continue seeking a professional would be beneficial.
· Set obtainable goals.
· Making a realistic timetable for yourself.
· Identify what is keeping you distracted and try to eliminate gradually.
· Celebrate small wins by rewarding yourself.
· Understand the root cause for not doing a particular task.
· Lookout for depressive symptoms and seek professional help.
As loss of motivation can be caused due to ongoing emotional turmoil in one’s life, it is important, to address these feelings. Talking to a psychologist about it can help one to identify and overcome it. It will also, help in creating positive thoughts, and behavior patterns which increases can resilience and ability to deal with stressful situations in the future better.
Importance of Professional Counseling: A friend or family member may listen to you, but they aren’t professionally, technically qualified or experienced to offer you professional advice. If you wish you can contact us at MindTribe to receive help from our team of expert psychologists.
About MindTribe.in.
MindTribe Founder Dr. Prerna Kohli, India’s eminent psychologist, established the company to leverage the strength of the online to make counseling affordable and accessible to everyone. MindTribe provides counseling, workshops, support groups, forums, and eLearning.
About the Author.
Parthvi Munjal is a psychologist at MindTribe.in. You can learn more about her by clicking here
Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of MindTribe.in, the Founders, or management team.
Acknowledgement: All images used are open source and from Unsplash.