How to Overcome Laziness

 Australian researchers have identified a new condition characterized by extreme laziness: motivational deficiency disorder¹ (MoDeD). MoDeD is far different from being a couch potato when you get home from work or sleeping in late on a Sunday morning. Instead, motivational deficiency disorder is described as overwhelming and debilitating² apathy³.

In cases when a person loses even the motivation to breathe, the condition can be fatal, researchers said.

Though the condition is thought to affect up to one in five Australians -- with an economic impact of $1.7 billion a year -- little is known about the causes of or treatments for motivational deficiency disorder.

"This disorder is poorly understood," says neurologist Leth Argos, who is one of the researchers that identified MoDeD. "It is underdiagnosed and undertreated."

What is Laziness?

Laziness, as defined by the Merriam Webster Online Dictionary, is a disinclination to activity or exertion⁴. While we all feel lazy once in a while, someone who is suffering from extreme laziness would feel this way chronically⁶.

Laziness is not an illness or a mental illness (unless it is the extreme form described above), but it can be a symptom of one, including:

Depression

Chronic⁵ fatigue⁷ syndrome⁸

Schizophrenia

Laziness can also develop after a period of intense work or stress, and in this way may actually be the body's way of protecting itself and getting the rest it needs to recuperate⁹.

Lazy or Just Not Motivated?

According to Mel Levine, M.D., a professor of pediatrics at the University of North Carolina Medical School and director of its Clinical Center for the Study of Development and Learning, the desire to be productive is universal.

However, a person's drive can become frustrated¹⁰ by various things -- causing a person to lose it altogether (until those dysfunctions are remedied). For instance, a child who has a language production dysfunction may not be able to express his or her thoughts and may give up. Or, a person whose ideas are constantly ignored at work may decide there is no point in trying.

"When we call someone lazy, we condemn¹¹ a human being," writes Mel Levine in his book The Myth of Laziness.

"We gain energy and feel good about ourselves whenever our personal output wins the approval, the acceptance, the respect of our friends, our families, our bosses (or teachers) and, most of all, our self-critical selves," he continues.

Levine believes that when a person's natural output is interrupted -- by failing to produce for whatever reason -- they have "output failure," a condition that is not laziness but is rather a neuro-developmental dysfunction (which could be anything from having trouble writing or speaking to lacking organizational skills). This can cause difficulties throughout adulthood¹² if not remedied.

How to Overcome Laziness

If you or someone you know is experiencing chronic laziness, the following tips can help to get back on track.

Do something that motivates you. All too often, laziness stems from boredom¹³ or a complete disinterest in your daily tasks. If you don't feel that your work is rewarding, consider changing careers. Likewise, if your child isn't inherently motivated to do schoolwork, set up a reward system that gives him or her something to work toward. Also, if a particular task seems overwhelming to you or your child (and therefore causes you to not do it), take small steps to make the task more manageable.

Exercise. The more time that passes without taking action, the easier it is to fall into the laziness trap. Exercise is an excellent way to boost your energy levels and put you in a better mood -- so you're ready to face a new day head-on.

Rule out illness. If you lack the desire to do anything, you may be suffering from an illness such as depression or the newly defined motivational deficiency disorder. When laziness becomes chronic or overwhelming, you should talk to your health care provider.

Make a change in your life. Sometimes, just the routine of daily life can lead to laziness. If you feel your daily routine is turning into monotony, sign up for a class at your local community college, volunteer at your town's animal shelter or call up a friend to play tennis.

Surround yourself with supportive people. When laziness begins to set in, one of the worst things you can do is surround yourself with other lazy people. Instead, actively¹⁴ seek out people -- in both professional and personal settings -- who will support your ideas, encourage your success and embrace you as a person.

1 disorder   

n.紊乱，混乱；骚动，骚乱；疾病，失调

参考例句：

• When returning back,he discovered the room to be in disorder.回家后，他发现屋子里乱七八糟。
• It contained a vast number of letters in great disorder.里面七零八落地装着许多信件。

2 debilitating   

a.使衰弱的

参考例句：

• The debilitating disease made him too weak to work. 这个令他衰弱的病，使他弱到没有办法工作。
• You may soon leave one debilitating condition or relationship forever. 你即将永远地和这段霉运说拜拜了。

3 apathy   

n.漠不关心，无动于衷；冷淡

参考例句：

• He was sunk in apathy after his failure.他失败后心恢意冷。
• She heard the story with apathy.她听了这个故事无动于衷。

4 exertion   

n.尽力，努力

参考例句：

• We were sweating profusely from the exertion of moving the furniture.我们搬动家具大费气力，累得大汗淋漓。
• She was hot and breathless from the exertion of cycling uphill.由于用力骑车爬坡，她浑身发热。

5 chronic   

adj.(疾病)长期未愈的，慢性的；极坏的

参考例句：

• Famine differs from chronic malnutrition.饥荒不同于慢性营养不良。
• Chronic poisoning may lead to death from inanition.慢性中毒也可能由虚弱导致死亡。

6 chronically   

ad.长期地

参考例句：

• Similarly, any pigment nevus that is chronically irritated should be excised. 同样，凡是经常受慢性刺激的各种色素痣切勿予以切除。
• People chronically exposed to chlorine develop some degree of tolerance. 人长期接触氯气可以产生某种程度的耐受性。

7 fatigue   

n.疲劳，劳累

参考例句：

• The old lady can't bear the fatigue of a long journey.这位老妇人不能忍受长途旅行的疲劳。
• I have got over my weakness and fatigue.我已从虚弱和疲劳中恢复过来了。

8 syndrome   

n.综合病症；并存特性

参考例句：

• The Institute says that an unidentified virus is to blame for the syndrome. 该研究所表示,引起这种综合症的是一种尚未确认的病毒。
• Results indicated that 11 fetuses had Down syndrome. 结果表明有11个胎儿患有唐氏综合征。

9 recuperate   

v.恢复

参考例句：

• Stay in the hospital for a few more days to recuperate.再住院几天，好好地恢复。
• He went to the country to recuperate.他去乡下养病去了。

10 frustrated   

adj.挫败的，失意的，泄气的v.使不成功( frustrate的过去式和过去分词 )；挫败；使受挫折；令人沮丧

参考例句：

• It's very easy to get frustrated in this job. 这个工作很容易令人懊恼。
• The bad weather frustrated all our hopes of going out. 恶劣的天气破坏了我们出行的愿望。 来自《简明英汉词典》

11 condemn   

vt.谴责，指责；宣判(罪犯)，判刑

参考例句：

• Some praise him,whereas others condemn him.有些人赞扬他，而有些人谴责他。
• We mustn't condemn him on mere suppositions.我们不可全凭臆测来指责他。

12 adulthood   

n.成年，成人期

参考例句：

• Some infantile actions survive into adulthood.某些婴儿期的行为一直保持到成年期。
• Few people nowadays are able to maintain friendships into adulthood.如今很少有人能将友谊维持到成年。

13 boredom   

n.厌烦，厌倦，乏味，无聊

参考例句：

• Unemployment can drive you mad with boredom.失业会让你无聊得发疯。
• A walkman can relieve the boredom of running.跑步时带着随身听就不那么乏味了。

14 actively   

adv.积极地，勤奋地

参考例句：

• During this period all the students were actively participating.在这节课中所有的学生都积极参加。
• We are actively intervening to settle a quarrel.我们正在积极调解争执。