Motivated?

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I don't feel like it at all anymore...the vacations are just over and I already lack energy...

This is how many conversations in psychological counseling begin. One of the most common problems during the course of studies is a lack of motivation - losing desire, energy and a sense of purpose in their education often weighs heavily on students.

What now?

Drop out? Bite the bullet? Change the course of study? Invest little time and attention in your studies until it virtually takes care of itself?

What actually is motivation?

Motivation is a powerful alignment of the whole person that originates deep within and is maintained from there. The willingness to invest energy, time and nerves in a particular project, to direct one's personal focus to that project and to let other concerns fade into the background for a time without resentment.

In this state we grow wings, we are open for new things, for development and our interest is easily aroused. We get over any obstacles that may arise seemingly effortlessly, and any irritations that arise are hardly noticed.

To consciously influence motivation is a difficult undertaking - we often do not (fully) know the deeper causes for the flow or stagnation of this inner source of power. Mostly, students can name reasons that made them choose and start their studies. These reasons have not changed and yet the motivation seems to have disappeared. The arguments no longer "pull", can no longer evoke the positive initial mood.

What happened?

And there is a magic in every beginning... (Hermann Hesse, "Stufen")

Often, studies are begun with anticipation and momentum, full of pride at having been accepted. A lot of energy and curiosity help to overcome the first hurdles.

There are said to be people for whom this euphoria turns into a permanent state, but usually the verve wears off gradually, often unnoticed at first.

The glow gradually fades, the need to consciously focus and make an effort increases, things no longer run on their own.

To a certain extent, this is perfectly normal. Not pleasant, perhaps, but a characteristic development that, in the positive case, can lead to a realistic assessment, routine handling of everyday study and a predominantly satisfied attitude.

You know: No one has to remain freshly in love forever to have a good relationship.

But if interest and commitment wane too much, problems arise - not only in terms of study performance, but especially in terms of quality of life.

What causes us to lose motivation?

It is worth paying attention to some typical motivational killers:

Offense, failure

Failures hurt the self-esteem, unsettle, raise doubts about one's own abilities, sometimes even fears. This is an extremely unpleasant state of affairs that dampens the joy of studying - after all, performance is constantly demanded and tested in various ways, and one is evaluated. This in itself is a difficult subject for most people, and it becomes all the more intense after failures.

Disappointment and false assumptions

Somehow you had imagined it differently, expected something different? Different content, a different level of difficulty, a different social environment? Even if information is gathered before the start of studies - you only realize what it's really like when the decision-making phase is long over and the day-to-day study routine has begun.

Overstrain/Understrain

Both have a demotivating effect. We feel good, in "flow", when we have challenges in front of us that we can handle just fine with effort. If a task is too difficult, it triggers stress and feelings of failure - if it is too easy, we get bored and miss meaning.

Changing priorities

Life always has surprises in store: a change of job introduces you to completely new activities, your personal or family situation changes. Important areas of life have changed and so have you, and your previous plans and priorities are suddenly called into question.

Exhaustion

Sometimes the lack of motivation is a clear indication that simply everything is really too much. Study, work, personal stresses of various kinds. The lack of motivation can also be an important alarm sign, indicating overload and must definitely be taken seriously.

And now what?

• Talk about it

Very important: Talk about it. Extensively and often.

But choose your interlocutors carefully: avoid conversations in which you are met with hold-out slogans and pressure in a certain direction. Too much self-interest on the other side will not help you - often (but exceptions prove the rule!) close family members are therefore not the best choice for these topics.

Your counterpart should be able to listen to you as openly as possible, you should have the feeling that your doubts and a possible decision can be received with interest and composure. Openness to results is not always perfectly possible, but it should set the direction.

Since an open conversation in a private setting is often not easy or not possible, we have here a classic field for professional counseling - feel free to contact me or any other counseling center.

• Edit personal issues

Many personal issues interact with motivation. Asking yourself some questions can bring clarification and remove blocks.

For example: How do I react to disappointment and failure? What can help me overcome these experiences? How do I deal with boredom, routine? Or, on the other hand, with leaving my comfort zone? What do predetermined structures, which are obligatory to follow, trigger in me? How do I react to authorities? How do I react when working in groups?

• Allow yourself to think seriously about all the alternatives

Revising decisions is always difficult. Abandoning plans once made even more so, we tend to stick to paths we have taken. In principle, this is not a bad strategy, after all, you have not made the decision without a reason and, moreover, you have already invested a lot of time and energy. Wishes, expectations and plans for the future are firmly linked to the plan that has been made.

But if you feel that this holding on requires more and more strength and exhausts itself in the repetition of hold-out slogans, then it is time for a fundamental clarification.

As an experiment, allow the thought of taking a different path. Go through it in all facets: What would change? What would your everyday life look like? How would you feel?

Take time, preferably for one day, to step into the shoes of each alternative. Pretend for 24 hours that you have made your decision. What is your day like? What are you doing? What are you thinking? How are you feeling?

• Consider real problems

Sometimes there are very real external circumstances that can completely undermine motivation.

It is very difficult to muster the strength to study when you are burdened by conflicts in your family or relationship. If you have health problems, illness or perhaps even the death of loved ones to deal with, if you are just going through a period of separation, you cannot expect yourself to be fully operational and capable.

These issues need space to at least be brought to a level that doesn't permanently affect you. Think about whether you can find ways to lighten your load - for example, reducing your work hours or getting help. And sometimes taking a break from your studies for a limited period of time can be a good solution.

• Give yourself time to find new motivation

Sometimes it's not even a question of fundamentally taking a different path or not, but of giving the magic a break, accepting that it's not there right now and that we don't know if and when it will come back.

It takes time to say goodbye to the initial euphoria and to find a new, perhaps more realistic approach and to put your decision on a firmer footing. Once this has been achieved, magic can once again emerge, which may accompany your project in a different way, but just as effectively.

As unpleasant as a motivational crisis is - it allows you to learn a lot about yourself in any case. To better understand what is really important to you. To recognize your reaction patterns to frustration, over- or under-challenge and perhaps discover new ways of solving problems.

The psychological consultation is only available in German - if you need counselling in English, please contact the Psychological Student Counselling Service of the Ministry: https://www.studierendenberatu...