Relationship between Motivation and Mental Health

Mental Health Articles

Motivation is defined as, "an influence of needs and desires on the intensity and direction of behavior". It is extremely important for us to achieve our aims and objectives. Without motivation we are not able to perform our desired tasks and move forward towards our desired goals. Motivation and actions are inextricably linked and related.

Action-----> Motivation------> More action

Motivation thus has a connection with mental health. Lack of it can make a person fall into a state of depression.Some of the most common symptoms of clinical depression include:

Decreased appetite Fatigue Fixation on failure Indecisiveness and decreased focus Irritability Loss of interest in hobbies Reduced sex drive Unexplained bodily pain.

The stronger these symptoms become, the lower your motivation becomes to accomplish your goals as these symptoms stifle motivation levels.

Depression has biological both biological and non biological causes. Biological can be best treated with medication. The non-biological causes like past failures or traumas, can be treated with therapy and psychological exercises. The main focus there is on building high motivation levels.

The patient is made to learn from the past failures and apply these lessons to achieve new accomplishments. The patient is made to keep a list of his small daily successes which he has read to himself the next morning. Thus motivation increases and there is gradual decrease in your symptoms of depression.One can get back to normal likfe and once again begin to work toward the grander goals — one small step at time.

But you may be amazed to know that mental imbalance can even cause excessive motivation! It happens when there are symptoms of mania. Thus the relationship between motivation and mental health goes both ways. Making an effort to keep your motivation high can foster healthy self-regard and be a weapon against bouts of depression.

If the person is developing or has developed Manic conditions then common symptoms include:

Enhanced drive to perform or achieve goals Extreme optimism Increased physical energy and activity Inflated self-esteem.

Those with the problem have enhanced goal-directed behavior,they become increasingly talkative, they try to get involved in pleasurable, high-risk activities.These symptoms may not in themselves sound harmful but the patients are at a high risk to get themselves engaged in risky behavior, such as unwise spending and careless sexual encounters. It also tends to cause a difficulty concentrating at one task at a time. They often move away from reality. Thus even the person may try to accomplish great things, their endeavors tend not to go well. Performances at work start suffering and relationships tend to get distorted.

So if you find anything like this developing you might need a medical intervention or a the help from a psychotherapist.Do not be ashamed to consult.