The Purpose of Purpose
Sometimes, in the morning, you just don’t feel like getting out of bed. Sometimes, during the day, you just want to get in bed and stay there. I’ve been there and I’m sure that you have too; you feel like there is molasses running in your veins, and you just don’t feel like doing anything, including doing nothing.
I found myself in this condition during my wife’s illness, and it was painful to do anything because I just didn’t feel like it.
What a downer, eh? (I threw that in for our Canadian readers…)
I have a friend who had been feeling like that for days and she couldn’t snap out of it. She called me the other day just bursting at the seams. She had gotten out of bed early and had all kinds of energy and she was so relieved that she was feeling better.
“What happened?” I asked her. “What is different today from yesterday?”
“My husband went to the nursery last night and bought a lot of plants and flowers for our garden. I woke up all excited about planting everything.”
Hmmm… what did you hear in her comment?
I’ll tell you what I heard: “sense of purpose.” She awoke with a sense of purpose; enthusiasm for an activity planned for the day.
There is a lesson in this that can affect both you and your loved ones. If you are the one that is feeling lethargic, find something to do that will give you this kind of sense of purpose. You will find that it not only gives you enough energy to get out of your rut and complete the anticipated task, but there is usually enough energy left over to do many of the things you formerly didn’t feel like doing. It’s a miracle drug. Really!
You may be able to use this technique help a loved one that is in a rut. I don’t know if my friend’s husband purchased the plants with the intention of getting his wife out of her rut, but he certainly could have! If someone you care about is stuck in a rut, try “priming the pump” with something they need in order to do something they love. What could that be? Here are some ideas: a jigsaw and/or crossword puzzle, a magazine, a new cookbook, a book of sewing patterns, something that needs to be assembled such as a patio swing or barbecue, etc.
We value and respect the experiences of all of our HERWriters, but everyone is different. Many of our writers are speaking from personal experience, and what's worked for them may not work for you. Their articles are not a substitute for medical advice although we hope you can gain knowledge from their insight.
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