Have you seen it?!
This was me earlier in the week. And during a blip later in the week as well.
I sense I might not be alone in experiencing a mojo departure, and wondering where it's gone, why and for how long! If it wasn't this week in the post-Easter-back-to work melee, I imagine it has felt this way another time for many of you too.
My first thought was 'holidays have a lot to answer for!' - we work hard to earn that precious time off, then we come back and 'have to' hit the ground running in work mode. I think my work mode was still on the hunt for easter eggs.
But I don't think it's entirely fair to blame having a break for losing our mojo, if at all. If the solution is not to have time out, then forget it, that's a surefire recipe for burnout / misery - and probably a longer term exit of aforementioned mojo!
I recognise that I'm talking about this recent personal experience in reasonably lighthearted terms - I'm not overly concerned that my energy, motivation and positivity have vanished long term - and in fact writing this is already helping, because writing is one of my best ways to express myself. But 'losing our mojo' can be a longer term issue for people who've really lost their spark or purpose, leading to a dip in confidence and self-belief. And yet I also recognise that a greater proportion of my week was affected than I have probably previously experienced.
So what do we do when our mojo has left the building?
It'll come as no surprise to you to read me say that it is our thinking that is being unhelpful here - and it is creating strong emotions resulting in not being able to see the wood for the trees. But I wouldn't say these emotions are entirely unhelpful. I've had a good cry this week (for the first time in a long time I realised). And it clearly needed to happen. I let it out and then I let it pass (which it did without me trying to stifle it prematurely). So let those emotions out, have a good swear / rant / cry if you need to, I honestly think the release is helpful, like taking a lid off the pressure cooker.
You might find that some or all of the following things are at play (they certainly were for me):
Feelings of being demotivated and unproductive. Trying to plug away regardless, especially if it is on one of the areas in your life that is contributing to your feelings of mojo-departure, is counter-productive. So no guilt, maybe step away from the desk, for as long as you can, engage in some movement, out in nature if at all possible.
Feelings of guilt or irritation / annoyance at the mojo departure. Sitting in these kinds of feelings aggravate rather than improve the situation unfortunately. So try not to beat yourself up over the fact that it's not around right now. It's a bit like being annoyed at the house keys that you can't find - it doesn't make them easier to locate!
Feeling in a funk, even a bit useless. It's very hard to feel inspired when this strikes - that blank screen in front of you just won't formulate what you want it to say on its own! Consider something completely different for a moment, but maybe also vaguely helpful that you can just absorb yourself in and feel good about after (I watered the garden).
Feeling behind and under pressure. Consider allowing yourself time to catch up when you are feeling in a better place. I started writing this late in the evening which I rarely do, but it was far more productive than trying to force it earlier in the day.
Feeling like there's just too much to do, you won't make a good job of any of it and it's all feeling a bit pointless. Maybe identify what is really a priority on your to-do list (including looking after yourself right now) and the rest may have to wait or be forgone altogether. I've not done as much this week as I intended, but actually my main priorities have been achieved in spite of this.
Feeling alone and unsupported. Who can you reach out to that you trust you can be totally honest with? I spoke with my best friend and had a heart to heart with a fellow small business owner. Just not keeping it all to myself was helpful.
All these small steps are getting me back on track. Hopefully my mojo is in the garden rather than down the street now. I'll tinker away and leave the door open, I'm fairly confident it'll be back soon.
If a lot of this is ringing true for you right now, please do feel free to get in touch, we can use a 45-min complimentary clarity session to see how we might be able to help you locate yours too: Kathryn@kbmindfulcoaching.com
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