Lazy and Unmotivated how do I break the cycle?
Hey guys, looking for honest advice here. Not fishing for sympathy, just need some straight talk.
Pre-COVID, I was a grinder. Not just at work, I used to hit the gym 6 days a week, 3 hours a day, and was in great shape. Post-COVID, something flipped. I’ve become insanely lazy and unmotivated. I barely go to the gym now, I’ve put on a ton of weight, and I just feel tired all the time.
At work, I’ve noticed this pattern: I start strong for the first month, then fizzle out avoiding the office, taking sick days, doing the bare minimum (3-4 hours of actual work/day), and watching the clock till 5. My work gets done, but I know I’m just coasting.
It’s not just laziness. I always have what feels like brain fog. My head kind of hurts sometimes, and I feel completely drained for no reason. On days off, I easily sleep until 1:00 PM without thinking twice.
Despite this, I’ve been able to move up from a chill 20 hour week role out of undergrad to a FO spot at a large AM and now a buyside investment seat. But I know I’m just skating by, doing the bare minimum, and not going above and beyond like I should.
I want to break this cycle, rebuild my work ethic, and stop feeling so tired all the time. I don’t think I’m burnt out (haven’t worked hard enough for that), and I’m starting to wonder if I’m overestimating how much effort others put in. Maybe I just don’t care enough about my job or maybe this is normal.
I miss being the motivated, disciplined version of myself both at work and in the gym. Open to criticism lay it on me. Just want real advice, not sympathy.
Hey man, I have been in a similar boat. I’ll find times when I stay on top of it, disciplined, and doing what I should. But then after sometime it’s the opposite.
My advice would be to take a step back and recall why did any of this to begin with. I come from a very low income background and so my roots will pick me up. Also I’ve started doing something hard every day (or try too). Most recently I’ve started to hit a boxing gym 1-2x a week. During the day I mentally do not wanna go, but I force myself too no matter what. If not that, I’ll try to run a few miles each day on the treadmill. As cliche as it sounds I’ll put some motivation on and just power through. The dopamine from the phone, that has to go (hardest for me). Trying not to mindlessly scroll. I find I relapse the hardest after a long weekend of going out. With thanksgiving and Christmas, maybe that can serve as a good reset to try some of these out.
Not OP but really love this comment. On your note about the scrolling - how do you make sure you don't do this mindlessly? Are there any tips that you found helpful?
Start out small by avoiding it when your using the bathroom, in between tasks, right when you wake up, right before you go to bed, etc. Hell I have even had some friends delete tiktok & reels all together, and it’s where I’m headed. These aren’t easy TBH it’s tough. Once you’ve been doing it for so long it’s just a dopamine addiction. But once you realize how mindlessly you just check your phone or open socials for no particular reason, it really dawns on you. “Stay hard”.
May be a combination of factors. After COVID many people reported brain fog if you developed long covid. Alot of people dispel that as a myth but almost 7% of adults are reporting having this in 2024. Try fixing your gut health, diet, or even going to mt Sinai for their long covid clinic which is pretty highly regarded. Saw them in 2022 for long covid and they recommended me
NAC with selenium 600 mg daily
Turmeric 500 mg twice daily
Quercetin 500 mg twice daily
CoQ10 200 mg daily
which helped me alongside exercising, also had your symptoms of weight gain+brain fog+lack of motivation. obviously this is not tailored for you but these supps are not rlly harmful to anyone and cheap to try. Same with probiotic for gut health(more on that next paragraph)
You may also try the more traditional motivation techniques like forcing yourself to sleep and wake up early, cold showers, etc. Try avoiding sugary foods which are likely making you tired and crash out. There's been links of Covid to gut health problems, may be harder for ppl to digest the same shit that hurts your gut than before. Going back to gym in the mornings(obv harder doing it than saying it). Try going light in the gym instead of your old 3 hours, at the start you are likely fatiguing if doing your old 3 hr routine which makes you miss gym for the next wk. Cut out brainrot content that probs makes you sit in bed for an extra hour or two a day. You are lucky enough to have cushy seat that affords you the luxury of working on yourself, you should grab that opportunity before you get fired for lack of motivation of smth. Good to have a couple fears or dangers to keep yourself motivated if you're unable to muster any kind of excitement for work yourself
Not OP; thanks for the advice. Would you mind sharing more about supplements? Thanks!
I second this. I’ve notice a massive change in my gut health after probably some combination of multiple covid infections and the vaccines.
if you have long covid you can notice several small changes to your behavior and body if you look closely. It’s likely gut related—unfortunately, the gut is a very complicated thing and cure is not straight forward.
Seriously consider getting your thyroid levels checked. I had similar symptoms like brain fog, weight gain, and lethargy, and it turns out my thyroid was barely functioning due to Hashimoto's thyroiditis. My life got back on track after getting on meds.
MD here (medical doctor). Medical and psychiatric workup required for this. DDx high-functioning depression/anxiety, thyroid, vitamin deficiency, gluten intolerance/celiac, intestinal inflammation, sleep Dx, maybe long COVID or lupus or insert random autoimmune disorder but way down on list.
Have an honest conversation with a full workup both metabolic and psychiatric, don’t hide anything from docs or else they won’t be able to help as much. Can nearly guarantee you will come away from clinic with something of value, though maybe not a clear “diagnosis” that makes sense. Don’t be a “young invincible” and skip your checkups like nothing will ever come of them. You’d be surprised, esp if it’s impacting QoL this much
Agree with the above. Not trying to diagnose you but it does sound like depression.
Is there a chance that you have long covid? The brain fog is a symptom I believe
What’s with people and the long covid thing. Depression and anxiety are far more likely possibilities particularly given the age, sex, and occupation OP is in. Long covid also isn’t the only thing that causes brain fog
Nam voluptate iure nulla ratione optio repellat alias beatae. Earum id fugit repudiandae facere et magnam qui. Quibusdam non nulla vitae deserunt provident iure mollitia.
Ipsam earum expedita mollitia excepturi autem. Ad earum culpa recusandae nemo.
Quia et tempora iure culpa quis labore facilis quibusdam. Provident atque nesciunt incidunt cupiditate consequuntur. Non voluptatem voluptatem neque sit doloribus. Consequatur cupiditate illo magni voluptatem eveniet expedita.
See All Comments - 100% Free
WSO depends on everyone being able to pitch in when they know something. Unlock with your email and get bonus: 6 financial modeling lessons free ($199 value)
or Unlock with your social account...