Dr. Shadé ZahraiWhy You Lost your Motivation in 2021 (4 Research Based Ways to Get it Back!)
CHAPTERS
- 0:00 – 1:00
“Meh days” and pandemic-driven motivation loss
Dr. Shadé Zahrai describes the foggy, effortful feeling of low motivation many people experienced during the pandemic. She frames it as a common response to uncertainty, isolation, and the monotony of disrupted routines.
- •Symptoms: brain fog, low focus, everything feels like effort
- •Pandemic factors: uncertainty, lockdowns, virtual life, reduced human contact
- •Loss of anticipated events and routine contributing to stagnation
- •Sets up the goal: understand the state and rebuild energy/purpose
- 1:00 – 1:31
What “languishing” is (and why it’s easy to miss)
She introduces the psychological concept of “languishing,” a state where you’re not depressed but also not thriving. It’s defined as the absence of feeling good about your life and can quietly lead to withdrawal without you noticing.
- •Term “languishing” from Corey Keyes
- •Explains the gap between ‘not depressed’ and ‘thriving’
- •Core feature: lack of joy/aimlessness/emptiness
- •Risk: you may not notice the drift into isolation or seek support
- 1:31 – 2:31
Strategy 1: “Name it to tame it” (label the emotion)
The first tool is to identify and label what you’re feeling, especially when frustration shows up. She explains the brain basis: putting feelings into words engages the prefrontal cortex and reduces amygdala reactivity.
- •Dan Siegel’s advice: “Name it to tame it”
- •Frustration often signals amygdala (threat system) activation
- •Matthew Lieberman: labeling emotions activates prefrontal regions
- •Self-monitoring increases choice and response flexibility
- 2:31 – 3:32
Strategy 2: Take time off—give your brain real rest
She argues that an overloaded brain stalls like an overheated machine, requiring downtime to recover. Constant device use and information intake prevent genuine solitude and restoration, leading to cognitive depletion and anxiety.
- •Rest as a necessary reset for an overloaded brain
- •Devices keep the brain continuously engaged in processing data
- •Michael Easter example: attachment to phones reduces solitude
- •Avoidance via phones can increase anxiety and depletion
- 3:32 – 4:03
Practical ways to unplug and recover mental bandwidth
She offers simple recovery practices that create mental space without screens. These include guided meditation, breathwork with counting, and device-free walking to reconnect with the present moment.
- •Use mindfulness meditation (apps/YouTube guides)
- •Breathing + counting backwards from 100 to settle the mind
- •Take a walk without your phone to practice presence
- •Create intentional solitude to restore cognitive energy
- 4:03 – 4:33
Strategy 3: Enter “flow” to rebuild enjoyment and energy
She introduces flow—deep immersion and enjoyment—as a powerful antidote to languishing. Flow is characterized by total involvement and often produces renewed energy once you’ve been engaged for a short period.
- •Flow concept from Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi
- •Flow feels like deep enjoyment, creativity, total involvement
- •Common signal: losing track of time
- •Often takes ~15 minutes to enter flow, then energy increases
- 4:33 – 5:03
Examples of flow activities you can intentionally repeat
She lists everyday activities that commonly trigger flow, emphasizing that the content can be creative, physical, or skill-based. The key is noticing what reliably absorbs you and doing more of it.
- •Art/creating as a flow trigger
- •Learning dance routines or new skills
- •Gym/workout routines as immersive focus
- •Playing instruments or games that hold attention
- 5:03 – 5:34
How to make flow easier: remove distractions and right-size challenge
She outlines the conditions that support flow: fewer external and internal distractions, single-task focus, and a challenge level that’s engaging but not overwhelming. A brain dump can help clear mental noise before starting.
- •Eliminate external distractions: phone away, close tabs/social media
- •Reduce internal distractions with a ‘brain dump’ list
- •Single-tasking is essential—avoid multitasking
- •Choose tasks that are challenging enough to engage but not frustrate
- 5:34 – 6:04
Strategy 4: Small, achievable goals to restart motivation
She explains that languishing often comes from feeling like you’re working toward nothing. Setting small, doable goals restores a sense of progress and gives you something to anticipate.
- •Aimlessness reduces motivation and hope
- •Set goals that are small, slightly challenging, and achievable
- •Create “something to look forward to” to counter monotony
- •Progress builds momentum out of stagnation
- 6:04 – 7:00
Dopamine, celebrating wins, and closing encouragement
She links completing small goals to dopamine-driven reward pathways that boost motivation and reinforce continued effort. She closes by encouraging viewers to celebrate even modest improvements—like getting out of bed with more energy.
- •Achievement + effort can trigger a motivating dopamine boost
- •Reward pathways encourage continued action
- •Celebrate small wins and the effort behind them
- •Wrap-up of the four strategies and supportive closing
