How Does Trauma Cause Someone To Be Lazy or Unmotivated?

By Dr. Betsy Usher

Depending on what stage of the healing process from C-PTSD you are in, the feeling of being unmotivated and “lazy” can be part of the process.

Let’s start by reframing what lazy and unmotivated is, in clinical terms.

One, it means depression; two, it means your system is in the polyvagal state, which is an immobilized state; and three, you are depleted from being in chronic fight for flight, and most likely have adrenal gland fatigue.

Let’s get into each one of these.

Depression after abuse or trauma is extremely common. In fact, it always occurs—even if you don’t recognize it.

The sense of having low energy, little desire for usually pleasurable activities, anxiety, low motivation, dissociation, low self-worth, low sex drive, irritability/agitation, and many other symptoms, can be associated with depression.

Usually, this is the first place to start with feelings of being lazy and unmotivated.

Depression can take over like cancer, and a loss of pleasure for life takes over, all on its own.

Going through a trauma changes your perspective, makes you question your worth, sanity, validity, and feelings of safety. It can feel like the whole world is unsafe and there is no where to run to. That is a hopeless feeling which is a hallmark sign of depression.

C-PTSD crumbles down on your worth and hope for life. It takes away your sanity and feelings of being safe. That would lead anyone to feel depressed. Same with PTSD.

Perspective changes happen with PTSD and people usually feel weak, vulnerable, not strong enough, and hopeless—that they can’t control their feelings and behaviors, which leads to depression.

Polyvagal Theory: AKA Emotional Shutdown.

It is a state of trying to stay alive.

Being in a state of fight or flight leads to our sympathetic system being chronically activated, which activates an old part of the vagus nerve, to survive.

Think of this as a deer running from a predator.

He runs (sympathetic system) until he has a feeling of no escape. The deer goes into an immobilized state (parasympathetic dorsal vagal system) of “deer in headlights”, where they are frozen and in complete shutdown.

The deer, being caught, will lay down and become immobilized, as if he were already dead, and there would be nothing left for the lion to chase or eat. It’s for survival.

The sympathetic system has a connection to almost every organ in our body, when it is activated it affects us entirely.

Here, people can faint, feel nauseous, dizzy, feeling of no pain, body curls into a ball, eyes fixed and gazed; and, you guessed it, become fatigued.

This is very much controlled by a person’s feeling of being unsafe, even if they actually are in that moment.

Their memories create a vicious cycle of fight or flight, being trigged by new events that remind them of old events, activating that polyvagal nerve and going into immobilization. This makes it hard to get close to people, thus losing the opportunity to reestablish safety with one’s self with others.

And the cycle continues.

This person would look extremely shut down, disinterested in much of anything, fatigued. Not tired—fatigued.

Fatigued is more of a heavy weight on your physical body, immobilizing you from being active.

This could happen throughout the day:

Parasympathetic connection mode (peaceful gazing), to sympathetic system (fight or flight), to parasympathetic (shut down mode).

In fact, most people with trauma unknowingly do this, throughout the day. Sometimes we can get stuck in shut down for hours or days, or weeks; possibly even months!

Loud noises for PTSD, yelling for C-PTSD. Though, many experiences can set this activating system off, after trauma.

Therapy, and connection with another safe person, is a way to come out of this system. Social engagement is the key.

Adrenal Gland Fatigue

Cortisol is a stress hormone that is flooded and released during times of trauma. It is a state of chronic fight or flight. Too much stress over produces cortisol, which eventually leads to the adrenal glands giving out.

Once this happens, the sympatric nervous system is activated. In fact, around 80% of those with PTSD/C-PTSD suffer from adrenal gland fatigue.

Exhaustion is the main word that I would use to describe adrenal gland fatigue. No matter how much you rest or sleep, your body has over produced cortisol and overused its adrenal glands to the point of burn out, where they no longer can be used to regulate energy.

Symptoms include:

Low morning startability, insomnia, craving for salty foods, tendency to need sunglasses, bright lights at night bothering eyes, tendency to be keyed up/or having trouble calming down, becoming dizzy when standing up suddenly, experiencing “hangry” hunger, and/or angry if meals are missed (hypoglycemia), and a burst of energy around 8pm at night.

So, when you ask why some people are lazy and unmotivated after trauma, we are really talking about biological workings, including hormones and depression that take over the body. It’s not about being lazy or unmotivated, it’s about being shut down, frozen without the proper hormones, and the nervous system not working optimally.