How To Find Inspiration When You’re Just Not Feeling It

Inspiration can come at any time and from anywhere. It can also feel like it’s lost in the uncertainty of the times we’re experiencing now. We can easily get bogged down with online school, remote work, and the thousand things dragging on us each day. I have felt that lack of inspiration many times over the last few months.

How can we feel inspired when the nation feels like it’s falling apart? What can when do when our time and energy are spent teaching our kids and completing our professional work? We can regroup and refocus. All it takes is a little bit of action to help you get back to your center.

Your center is a great place to be. It’s where you feel the most grounded and firm in your ability to manage your world. I wrote about ‘getting back to your center’  in 5 Ways to Build Your Resilience. Finding your center means when things feel chaotic and off, you can regain your ground by resetting your internal alignment. It will help you refocus and feel back in control of your situation by assessing what is stressing you internally.

Some people find their center through meditation, exercise, cooking, or painting. It’s really individualized for what will work best for you. It’s important to find your center because the rest of your world will remain off-balance without it.

Inspiration is another way you can regain focus. What inspires you? Lately, inspiration has been hard to come by for me. Staying home is hard on me and my family. We all loved it in the beginning. The weather was cool so we spent time outside. I loved exploring new things to cook and bake. I cleaned all the closets and caught up on things we wanted to do around the house. It felt really good to have so much more time for exercise, family time, and cooking together at home.

The stress of online learning and still being home after five months finally kicked in for all of us. We’ve had tears, fears, behavioral issues, and frustration at our house over the whole COVID-19 stay-home experience. It’s hard to feel inspired when things feel uncertain. Every day may not be good, but there’s something good in every day and opportunity is always among the chaos. You just need to look for those little things that can inspire you to take the next step.

Some ways to feel inspired when that pizzazz is missing and you’re just not feeling it.

• Change your environment – get up and get out. Move the furniture. Change it up.
• Acknowledge what has you uninspired and move on
• Remember what you can control when things feel out of control, like your attitude
• Read something that is uplifting
• Connect with another human by phone, video call, text
• Draw a picture or doodle
• Color
• Play some music
• Take a walk
• Meditate
• Try a new recipe
• Pet the dog or cat
• Play with the kids or if needed, get a break from the kids
• Plan the next vacation or road trip
• Take a mental break with some alone time
• Read a success or hero story about another person
• Remember your “Why?” and purpose
• Learn something new
• Acknowledge what you accomplished this year
• Consider your next career move and think of all you have accomplished in your career
• Do jumping jacks and shake it out
• Reflect with gratitude each day
• Hydrate and eat well
• Journal
• Get outside and walk, hike or bike outdoors
• Listen to a podcast
• Light a candle or essential oil diffuser
• Turn off the TV and limit the news or social media
• Get some sunshine

The possibilities are endless. It’s important to take action. You will feel more creative, positive, and ready to take on the next goal. Feeling inspired becomes your fuel to help you meet the inevitable challenges life throws your way and helps with problem-solving.

So before you grab that tub of ice cream and plop on the couch to binge-watch your favorite show, remember, a rut is only temporary and you have the ability to pull yourself out one action step at a time. What will you choose to do?