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It’s morning and the first thing you do is open Instagram. A video flashes on your screen about a girl who managed to run ten kilometers, work eight hours and bake homemade bread in the process. A small voice inside you says: “What about you? Why are you still in bed?”

Social media is an environment where toxic motivation flourishes. Videos with slogans like “No excuses”, “Sleep is for the weak” or “Work while your enemies sleep” are presented as inspiration.

However, they trap many into the feeling that if they don’t do their best every day, they are a failure. People even share tips on how to “hack” themselves.

Getting up at 4:30 in the morning, crazy workouts or work schedules with no time to rest. On Instagram or TikTok, it looks like a recipe for success, but for the psyche, it can be a recipe for collapse.

What is toxic motivation?

Toxic motivation is a strange paradox. It forces a person to do more, but at the same time it takes away energy and joy. It is built not on values ​​and inner convictions, but on fear, comparison and pressure. Typical thoughts are: “If I don’t turn in my work before everyone else, I’m incompetent,” or “If I take a day off, it means I’m lazy.”

As an expert quoted by Verywell Mind explains, toxic forms of motivation and positive thinking create pressure that ultimately leads not to growth, but to feelings of shame and failure.

Why do we use it

At first glance, toxic motivation is tempting. It promises results, more hours of training, better grades, faster career advancement. One feels that this pressure is the engine of success. However, it is a mechanism that exploits our weaknesses. The fear of failure and the need to fit in.

It is most often sought by young people, teenagers and twenty-somethings. It is at this age that identity and self-confidence are formed, and the pressure of social networks or the environment is enormously powerful.

Toxic motivation offers them a quick answer: “Do more and you will prove that you have what it takes.” However, instead of proof, exhaustion and even greater uncertainty often come.

Does it work?

At first, toxic motivation may seem like an effective tool. A person feels like they are doing more and faster. But over time, the price becomes clear. Constant pressure leads to chronic stress, anxiety and, in extreme cases, burnout.

People who rely on it for a long time often have trouble relaxing. Even when they want to take a break, a list of obligations and regrets runs through their heads. Work, sports or school become an obligation that must be suffered.

In the short term – yes, it works. Toxic motivation can kick a person up, stimulate them to perform and bring quick results. That is its insidiousness. It works effectively, which is why people like to return to it.

However, in the long term, it stops working. A person becomes dependent on external pressure and cannot function without it.

Instead of stability and satisfaction, it brings a constant roller coaster ride. One moment of excitement, then exhaustion, a sense of guilt, and an attempt to fix it by overloading yourself further.

At what age does it start?

The first traces of toxic motivation appear already in elementary and middle school. A child who hears phrases like “you have to have units, otherwise you will be nothing” or “look at XY, he already plays for the national team”, easily adopts the feeling that a person’s value is measured by performance.

With the advent of social networks, this pressure has multiplied even more. Already 13-14 year old teenagers compare themselves with influencers or classmates and look for ways to prove their value.

At that time, toxic motivation can seem like a quick fix, just do more and more. But it is at this age that it is most dangerous, because the relationship with oneself is formed, which we carry into adulthood.

Healthier alternative

Replacing toxic motivation does not mean giving up on your goals. It is more about changing your approach. Healthy motivation is based on internal values. The question “Why am I doing this?” instead of “What will they think of me?” You should try:

  • Set realistic goals.
  • Allow yourself to relax without regrets.
  • Find joy in the process, not just the result.
  • Limit comparisons on social media.

According to psychologists, this type of motivation is sustainable. It brings meaning and satisfaction instead of fear.

Conclusion

Toxic motivation is deceptive. It looks like an engine, but it is a whip. If we want to progress, we need to stop believing that more is always better. Real strength is not in going further, but in knowing when to stop.

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