Staying Motivated Amidst A Pandemic by Sameena Ashraf

With the entire country on stand-by until the pandemic ends, I wouldn’t blame you if you were feeling even a little demotivated right now. Whilst I may not be able to speak for everyone, I know for a fact that I’ve even been struggling with motivation for myself. Although we can now go out to eat, shop and meet with others albeit with limitations. Some of us although allowed are still in fear and are imposing lockdown upon ourselves. For those of us still implementing lockdown in whatever form I’ve been looking into how to keep myself motivated and energised whilst we try to wait out the end to this pandemic. 

Create A Plan

One thing that helps me in the morning is envisioning. Recently, especially since the announcement of the end of the lockdown, I find myself thinking about all the things I want to do once everything is back to normal. The only issue is a lot of them include the summer body that I was meant to start working on in January. No matter how hard I think I want to work out, it just doesn’t seem to happen. However, recently I have begun envisioning. This is simply seeing and knowing what you want and by envisioning it you can create a blueprint which should lead to a plan of action to your goal. Ever since I started doing that I managed to make myself a work out plan and also stick to my diet. Hopefully this works for you as well.

Figure Out What Pushes You

Focusing on what excites you is also another great way to motivate yourself. Nobody wants to do anything boring and whilst something’s you may find boring to someone else might be a heart thumping experience. The key is to focus on what you want and what excites you. You’re more likely to be heavily motivated if you know for a fact the thing that you’re working towards or that you’re waiting for is definitely going to be fun for you.

Make Sure You’re Doing New Things

With everybody being inside it’s very easy to end up doing the same thing every day and fall into a routine of monotony. Make sure you are switching up your routines and keeping things fresh. Sometimes by simply doing one new thing a day your entire mood for the day may change. Keeping a routine is important but to make sure you are getting new experiences and stimulating yourself is equally as important. 

Show Yourself Some Love

Whilst it’s all easy to say you’re going to be motivated and change your mindset, sometimes simple things work the best. Making a list and keeping simple goals, is a very easy way to keep yourself motivated. Simply making a to-do list in the morning and checking each one off is such an effective way to stay motivated in the short term whilst we wait. At the end of the list, or maybe even after each job, give yourself a little reward. That could be whatever you want, as long as it is fulfilling to you.

Be A Little More Self-Aware

Another way to motivate yourself is self-awareness. Sometimes you have to understand what your position is and what your options are.  Thinking about what you want and then being self aware of the options and how to do it really helps. Not only do you have a clear path, it helps to remove all the mental clutter. You could do this however you like, personally I like meditation, deep thought or a simple conversation to clarify what I want and who I am.

Fill Your Soul 

In times where I’m really struggling with motivation I always turn to religion. Not only does Islam help to give great morals but it also helps to guide people when they are lost. Praying and reading always helps to soothe my soul and to refocus. Simply by taking a few minutes out of my day whenever I start to feel a little down and using them to read a few pages of the Quran. Even if you don’t have time to read the Quran a quick google search on what to do Islamically or how you’re feeling and reading into it within the Context of dealing with it Islamically will make you feel not only more motivated but also bring peace to you whilst doing it. 

Hopefully some of these tips help to keep you motivated whilst we’re in this lockdown. With kids going back to school, we know it’s not long until we can properly go back to normal life. So inshallah these will help keep you on track and motivated to do whatever goals you have set for yourself whether the virus goes away or not.

How have you kept yourself going through the pandemic? We would love to know!