Fight demotivation after Christmas break!
Even the most motivated of us face the pang of procrastination after a few weeks away from karate training.
It’s double the struggle when we’ve been stuffed full of food and we’re feeling sluggish from the over indulgence of Christmas!
With big goals set for this year, I spent the last week planning and prepping my training regime. Between gym training, clean meal plans and individual karate training woven between my busy teaching schedule, I was satisfied that I had created the perfect formula that would take my karate to where I want it to be.
I was pumped to get going.
Today was the day my training would start.
I woke up, had my usual “slap-you-in-the-face” coffee, expecting a surge of wind in my sails…. but nothing.
What’s going on?! I had my plan; it was solid.
Then the familiar voice of procrastination started…
“I could just start tomorrow, it is the last day of the holidays, after all.”
Oh, you know that voice too? The one that convinces you that it can be done later?
I started to stretch and get my body moving. Man, I was stiff. As I lay in some undefined yoga position on my bedroom floor, Adam walked in and stopped in his tracks.
“What on earth is happening here?!”, he asked.
“I’m trying to motivate myself”, I mumbled into the carpet.
It clearly wasn’t working.
So I thought, “what would I tell a student if they came to me and said they were struggling with motivation?”
Firstly, I’d tell them to think of the “why”. Why do you want this? What are your goals? Put the goal at the forefront of your mind every time that procrastination voice kicks in.
Yet, here I was, still lying in a pretzel on my bedroom floor. Procrastinating.
A psychologist would have some great theories as to why this method isn’t always enough to get going (we’ll leave this for a future blog post!)
So instead, I decided to just get going and do something practical to help me fight the feeling of demotivation.
It worked.
So, if you’re like me, struggling to get going after Christmas break, I hope these tips can help you too.
Freshen up your training space / Find a space
If your training space has been laying dormant for weeks, it could probably be doing with a little freshen up. Making your space ready for you to step in to removes one of the largest barriers we can easily hide behind when it comes to training.
It’s too easy to fall into the trap of “urghhhh I can’t do X because I have to do Y first”.
Get the Y done, so you can focus on your “why”!
If you don’t have a home training space and your training takes place at class, obviously you don’t have a space to freshen up. However, clear a space somewhere in your house where you can get a bit of practice in prior to returning to class. It doesn’t have to be a large space; my home space is only 4x3 metres, and that’s plenty to work on drills, bits of kata or stretching.
Put on a gi!
There’s something magical that happens when we put on our gi. You know it, I know it; suddenly we transform into focussed karateka. It might seem a bit OTT for some home training, but trust me on this one.
Warm up with a banging soundtrack
Put on your most favourite, funkiest beats and just get your body moving! My warm up today started with me dancing about to my favourite tunes. Not karate related in the slightest, but it definitely perked me up and kicked started the dopamine release, making me feel good and positive. Once I was feeling energised, then I started my proper warm up sequences.
Do some karate that you ENJOY
This is key. There’s no point picking something challenging or new to work on; something that could end up making you feel frustrated with your karate training. Instead, choose something you enjoy. Maybe that’s a particular kata, or some kumite drills you feel confident with.
We want to remind our body and mind why we love karate, and what it feels like when we feel good in training.
Keep it short and sweet
There’s always the risk that we overtrain and take our training from enjoyment to misery. Seems dramatic, but I’ve been there myself, and know many people who have done the same. We’re riding the wave of “oh this is going great, I’m going to keep pushing”, and before we know it, we’ve entered the zone of frustration. Once we’re there, all the good work and feelings we’ve built up get chucked down the pan. That’s definitely not what we’re aiming for here. So keep it short, maybe an hour maximum, and finish when you’re feeling good. The growth and development can be done in the dojo, later down the line.
Today, we’re just trying to dust off the cobwebs and find our motivation again.
The most important thing I want you to know if you’re feeling demotivated is - YOU ARE NOT ALONE and it doesn’t mean you’ve failed in any way. It happens to the best of us, even someone like me whose life purpose is to share karate with all you lovely people!
See you in the dojo, friends,
Kathryn Sensei