When You Just Don’t Feel Like It: The Science of the Blahs and How to Reset

In this episode, Juli shares what really happens in your brain after a big trip, project, or event — that strange “blah” feeling when motivation and joy take a dip. Learn about the dopamine-restoration cycle, why your nervous system needs recovery, and how to use small, sensory-based actions to bring your chemistry (and your clarity) back online.

You’ll Learn:

• The neuroscience behind low-motivation days
• How dopamine, serotonin, and novelty interact
• Simple reset habits: drink water, walk barefoot in the grass, get sunlight, listen to music, dance, take a nap
• Why rest isn’t regression — it’s repair

Transcript

0:59

Welcome to another extraordinary week. I am really glad that you are here. I wanna talk a little bit, I'm back from a whole month of travel. I think I traveled more in September than I do normally in a entire year, and I. Then came back and had a little bit of, like, I felt it, I needed to let my body rest. And so I wanted to talk about how to live, love and lead and with clarity and purpose even when your energy or your motivation doesn't match your vision. I had a day when we returned that I was. My intention was to get so much done. I was back, I was back from Italy and I had a great time. I had a great time in Salt Lake City, meeting with nurses before that got to visit with my, our kids in Chicago and our kids in Orlando. Those, all of the trips were really fun and I had a great time. A very meaningful time, and now I know that my travel experience is over for a while and it was time to get back to work. Now, I had had some time on a long flight to think about the things that I wanted to accomplish before the end of the year, and they weren't really, I wasn't setting any new goals really. Reconnecting with my ambition for those goals. And so this was the day that I was gonna get up and I was gonna knock some things out and well, instead I found myself watching MASH and just doing things that, I got a few little things done. I got unpacked, got laundry done, but I just really. Wasn't even interested in doing anything. So I thought this would be a really great day to lay on the couch and read, but I would've needed to pick a new book and I really just wasn't interested. So what do you do in those times when your motivation doesn't match your vision? And that's what I'm gonna talk about because this is where we decide are we gonna give ourselves some grace and take some time off? When is it time to just kick. In, when do we need to be intentional about just doing some things to motivate ourselves and get it done Anyway, so we've started with a confession that after that big event, a lot of times after a big event a beautiful trip, even a major project launch, I often hit this wall. So this isn't a new feeling for me and I imagine that you are relating, and this isn't new to you either. So when I was just sitting on the couch trying to motivate myself and watching mash and thinking, what little things could I do that need to get done Anyway, I just was in an energy crash and it wasn't burnout. more like kind of just flatlined on the energy, on the interest, and I could not change it. I didn't feel sad, just a little blah. it wasn't that I was down it wasn't really like that. It was like my brain and body were just a little out of sync. And so if you've ever come home from something wonderful, a conference, a vacation, many of you have, planned weddings, things like that, even a season of success, something you're very happy about and excited about, and then you just suddenly just feel a little off. Well, you're not crazy. This is part of being human. And there's science to it, so here's what's actually happening is that during the trip or the big event, your brain is flooded with dopamine, a neurotransmitter of anticipation and novelty and reward, and you're constantly stimulated. You have new faces, new places, new ideas, new experiences. There's just a lot of new exciting things. Your reward system is lit up like fireworks. I think we had that experience even on our trip is that you just get to that point where almost you can't take anymore in. But once it's over, those fireworks fade and the dopamine drops and adrenaline quiets down, this is when your nervous system, that's which has been in go mode says, alright, it's time to recover and that recovery phase can feel like the blahs. It's not that lack of discipline, so don't beat yourself up about it. It's neurochemistry, recalibration. So I like that term a whole lot better than a lack of discipline or motivation.'cause that's really the truth. You've got a recalibration of some neurochemistry going on. Your brain isn't punishing you, it's protecting you. Now dopamine isn't about pleasure as much as it is about pursuit. It gives you the spark to chase a goal or anticipate something good. But when the chase ends, when there's no countdown, no new challenge, no novelty, that dopamine naturally just dips and that dip can make ordinary life feel muted. The same coffee doesn't taste as good, the same to-do list feels heavier. And even the things that you love feel like they're far away. Like maybe you're not as interested anymore. And this is what neuroscientists call reward, prediction error. Your brain was expecting continued excitement, but the inputs changed. So the good news is that there's nothing wrong with you. You're just recalibrating this is a chemical lull between cycles of momentum and this is normal and this is the way our brain stays healthy and balanced Now, once we understand what's happening, we can do something about it, right? We gently and wisely and compassionately. And there are three science backed ways that I'd like to introduce or remind you about to help your brain reset. Now these aren't gonna be, these might not be new to you, but it might be a nice reminder of things that you can do when you just want to reset. Now, that just doesn't mean that you're going to, all of a sudden that this, that you're gonna do these things and tackle your list and get everything that you've done, you, everything on your list that you wanted to have done. Maybe you were too ambitious with this day, that instead of giving yourself that time, everybody's different and every experience is different. So this is the time that we can listen to our bodies. Now, first of all, move your body, but lightly, you don't need to jump back into full intensity. So think micro movement, a watch, a walk, stretching, even dancing in your kitchen movement releases serotonin. And serotonin and endorphins, which help modulate dopamine and reenergize your system without overstimulating it. And I like to say it's kind of like shaking up a snow globe. You don't need to stir up a storm, but you can bring that clarity back to the picture. So if you think about a snow globe and you just give it a gentle shake and let the snow flurries happen. Two, we can engage one sense intentionally, since you're listening to an aroma therapist, I'm gonna highlight the olfactory system. The sense of smell. It's the only sensory pathway that goes directly to your limbic system, that emotional center, and that's why aromatherapy can make such a fast difference. Trying citrus or peppermint to activate that alertness or cedarwood or lavender to calm over stimulation. So when I get home, I diffused some wild orange and said out loud, I'm shifting from doing to being that moment. Be able to be in the space where I wasn't listening to any of the noise. I could diffuse some wild orange and some peppermint and just tell myself that I'm shifting from doing to being, and that moment, 1 cent, one sentence, began my reset. Now, even if I was gonna sit on the couch the rest of the day and watch mash, I should be enjoying it, right? So, I think that's important, is that you make a decision to, I'm gonna do this thing that I enjoy that doesn't require a lot of energy, that doesn't require a lot of thought, and I'm just going to enjoy it Create a micro win. The quickest way to restore dopamine is progress. So pick one small, meaningful task, like fold the laundry, answer one message, drink the water, and then check it off. That little I did it moment gives your brain that hit a dopamine that it needs to say We're back online. So even if you just get one thing done, that's the win for the day, and that's all you need. And the important thing to remember here too is that motivation doesn't always proceed action. In fact, maybe very rarely does it. So most of the time, it's action that reignites motivation. So that's probably a message all in its own, is that sometimes we wait for motivation to come our way or we wait to get in touch with some motivation to get into action. And what we have to remember is that it's probably the other way around. So if you're in the middle of your own post-event fog or just One of those, I don't feel like it days or weeks or months, give yourself permission to pause. You're not losing momentum. You're allowing integration. And I think that's important too, when we have really big wins or big events or meaningful experiences. We need to give those experiences space to be integrated into our narrative. Maybe we just accomplished something or experienced something that we have dreamt about for a really long time, and we need to take some time to just again, integrate it into your narrative that. You experienced it. Take it in every big experience, whether it's travel achievement or transformation, creates new neural connections and those need that quiet space to. Settle in. So rest isn't regression, it's repair and recalibration is just part of resilience. So instead of asking what's wrong with me, try asking, what is my brain asking for today? Is it novelty or rest, reflection, connection. Your answer to that question becomes your next right step. Maybe it's simply just to call a friend. All right? if this message meets you right where you are, share it with a friend who also might be in their own after the high season. And if you're ready to learn how to create daily rituals that balance your brain chemistry naturally, check out the Yes society. Schedule a time with me that we can talk and we can see what is a fit. What is your next right step? And we can turn neuroscience into nurture Remember, You don't have to feel like it to move forward. And sometimes just showing up gently is how your comeback begins. Until next time, stay curious, stay kind, and remember, motivation is a magic. It's chemistry. and chemistry can be cultivated as you go out every day and default to yes, your. Extraordinary self.