Am I Depressed or Lazy? How to Tell the Difference

The Key Differences Between Laziness & Depression

People often confuse depression with laziness, yet they are two distinct issues. Laziness happens when someone chooses not to do something, even though they’re able to.¹ In contrast, people with depression might seem lazy because they lack motivation and energy, but this is due to the underlying symptoms of the disorder. Unlike laziness, depression isn’t just a matter of willpower; it’s a mental health condition that requires professional treatment.^{2, 3}

Am I Lazy or Depressed?

It can be hard to tell the difference between laziness and depression because both can affect your energy, motivation, and productivity. If you feel like something isn’t right, take a moment to reflect. Start by thinking about your “normal” self—how you usually feel, think, and act when things are going well for you. Only you can truly know what’s typical for you, so comparing your current state to your baseline can help you figure out if something more serious might be going on.

Here are some things to consider when trying to figure out if you are depressed or lazy:

• Severity and duration of symptoms: Depression is typically diagnosed when symptoms persist for at least six months. These symptoms are severe enough to significantly impact your quality of life and ability to manage daily responsibilities. In contrast, laziness is usually a temporary state that doesn’t last as long or affect your life as deeply as depression does.
• Interest in activities: A key sign of depression is a loss of interest in activities that used to bring you joy, a symptom known as anhedonia. When you’re depressed, this loss of interest isn’t something you can control, and it can make you feel even worse. With laziness, you might still enjoy pleasurable activities and are more likely to procrastinate rather than lose interest in them altogether.
• Emotional state: Depression is often diagnosed based on persistent emotional difficulties like feelings of hopelessness, deep sadness, or emotional numbness. If you’re not experiencing these intense emotions, you’re likely dealing with laziness rather than clinical depression, which involves significant emotional distress.
• Appetite changes: Depression often causes noticeable changes in eating habits—either eating much more or much less than usual. This can lead to depression-induced weight gain or loss and fatigue. If you’re just feeling lazy, you’re less likely to have significant appetite changes, and if they do occur, they are usually short-lived and not severe.
• Ability to self-care: People with clinical depression often struggle with basic self-care, like bathing, grooming, eating, and staying active. This neglect isn’t just about lacking interest; it’s about feeling genuinely unable to engage in these activities. In cases of laziness, there’s usually more of a choice involved—you might choose not to take care of yourself, but it’s not because you’re incapable of doing so.
• Professional assessment: If you’re unsure whether you’re dealing with laziness or depression, it’s important to consult a mental health professional, such as a therapist or psychiatrist. They can conduct assessments to identify specific symptoms and help determine the best course of action for your situation.

Here are some questions to consider to determine whether you’re lazy or depressed:

• Can I accomplish the task/s at hand with willpower and determination?
• Am I having trouble getting any task/activity started?
• Am I avoiding certain tasks because they seem too complicated?
• Am I more physically exhausted than usual?
• Am I feeling overwhelmed by having too much going at once?
• Have I lost interest in not just doing certain tasks but also in things I enjoy?
• Am I finding it harder than usual to jump back into my responsibilities and/or get back on track?
• Have I ever felt uninspired/understimulated or like this in the past? If so, how did I cope?

Keep in mind that we all have experienced periods when we’ve felt less energetic and lazy. Daily demands, life stressors, and ongoing responsibilities can take a toll on our minds and bodies. As such, resting and having some downtime are not only normal but necessary. However, when moments of laziness are more frequent, lasting longer than usual, and interfering with daily functioning, there may be a cause for concern.

How Depression Can Cause “Laziness”

Depression symptoms like fatigue, indifference, and lack of drive can make you feel and appear lazy. This can lead to avoiding productive activities, neglecting important responsibilities, and not wanting to do much of anything. Over time, these behaviors can become a habit, pulling you deeper into depression and making it harder to break free from these “lazy” patterns.

Here is how depression can cause laziness-like symptoms:

• Low motivation: Low motivation can look like laziness because, from the outside, it seems like you’re not getting anything done. However, in depression, this lack of motivation is often much more severe and feels uncontrollable, making it difficult to take care of even basic tasks.
• Procrastination: In depression, low energy and motivation can lead to procrastination. This delay in completing tasks can worsen your depression, as the unfinished responsibilities add to your stress and make the depressive episode last longer and feel more intense.
• Forgetfulness: Depression often affects your ability to think clearly due to factors like depression-induced brain fog, fatigue, isolation, and negative thoughts. This can result in forgetfulness, where you might struggle to remember important details or tasks, which can appear to others as laziness.
• Difficulty concentrating: Depression can overwhelm your thoughts, making it hard to focus on anything else. This difficulty in concentrating on tasks is often mistaken for laziness by others and even by those experiencing it, but it’s actually a symptom of the disorder.
• Sleep disturbances: Depression often disrupts your sleep patterns in two main ways: either you can’t sleep well (insomnia), or you sleep too much (hypersomnia). These sleep issues lead to fatigue and emotional distress, which can make you seem lazy when, in fact, your body and mind are struggling.
• Emotional numbness: Depression often comes with feelings of hopelessness, deep sadness, or numbness. When you’re feeling lazy, you might experience apathy or lethargy, which can be confused with emotional numbness, but the causes and underlying feelings are different.
• Poor self-care: Both depression and laziness can lead to neglecting self-care, like not showering or eating well. The key difference is that with laziness, you might choose to skip these activities, while in depression, it often feels like you simply can’t do them, no matter how hard you try.
• Social withdrawal: Depression often leads to isolating yourself from others, even when you know you need support. When feeling lazy, you might avoid social interactions because they feel like too much effort. However, with depression, the withdrawal is deeper, often driven by a loss of interest in connecting with others at all.

Coping With Depression & Laziness

You may feel so physically and mentally exhausted that doing the slightest task can feel too daunting. This absence of vitality will only deepen your depression and struggles with laziness, making it harder and harder to cope with daily life. However, you can gradually break this cycle and supplement treatment by intentionally tweaking a few things in your life.

Here are some tips and worksheets for coping with depression-induced laziness:

• Set small, achievable goals: Depression can make everything feel overwhelming. When conquering “laziness” caused by depression, setting small achievable goals to ensure success is important. The more you succeed, the more motivated you will become, and you will find yourself accomplishing more and more of what you need to achieve.
• Celebrate the wins: Although it may seem silly or trivial, it is important to celebrate every small accomplishment. Did you get out of bed? Amazing. Were you able to open your laptop? Awesome job. Although this may be easy for most people, these tasks are incredibly difficult when battling depression, and you should be proud of yourself. 
• Focus on physical activity: The general advice when struggling with depression is to improve your self-care by eating nutritious meals, getting adequate sleep, etc. However, this can be too much to ask of yourself initially. Instead, put all of your energy into engaging in regular physical activity. Exercise can help to battle symptoms of depression and will eventually give you more energy to conquer all other types of self-care.
• Practice self-compassion: When depressed, your inner critic may become amplified and attack you for being “lazy.” It is important to challenge your inner critic and practice self-compassion. Treat yourself as you would treat a friend who is battling a mental health disorder. You can also incorporate loving-kindness meditations and positive affirmations into your daily routine.
• Lean on your support system: Depression often makes people isolate and withdraw from their friends and family. It is important to combat that inclination because it will only result in feeling more depressed. Focus on connecting with close friends and relatives, and find a supportive community/religious organization or a support group with individuals who share your struggles.
• Ask for help: Although it can be difficult, it is important to ask for help with depression when struggling with depression-induced laziness. To keep yourself accountable, ask a close friend or relative to help you with your “to-do list,” remind you of deadlines, and do daily check-ins with you. Sometimes, help from loved ones is insufficient support, and you may want to consider speaking to a therapist or counselor.

Free Depression Worksheets

This collection of seven worksheets provides practical tools and strategies for managing depression symptoms. Find the one you need or download them all here.

The Complete Workbook Download

Self-Care Inventory Download

Challenging Negative Thoughts Download

Setting SMART Goals Download

Personal Strengths Inventory Download

Setting Healthy Boundaries Download

PLEASE Take Care of Yourself Download

Practicing Gratitude Download

Finding the willpower to get out of bed when depressed and to tend to your overall well-being may seem like a big production in itself. Making these adjustments may not be easy at first, especially if you have been depressed and unmotivated for a while. Think of these as the fuel or sustenance that is essential in order for you to emerge from your depression and lazy patterns. Sometimes, you might feel frustrated and discouraged; be patient with yourself and focus on making one small change at a time.

When to Seek Professional Support

Depression can also slowly creep up on you and worsen over time when it isn’t properly addressed. Therefore, the earlier you seek treatment, the better.^{2, 3} With the appropriate professional interventions and your commitment to the recovery process, you can effectively manage your symptoms of depression and improve the quality of your life.

You can start by searching a local therapist directory. It is important to find a mental health professional who fits your individual needs and has expertise in working with depression. If you are finding it difficult to leave your home, there are many online therapy services, such as Talkspace or BetterHelp, that can match you with a therapist who specializes in depression.

You can start by searching a local therapist directory. It is important to find a mental health professional who fits your individual needs and has expertise in working with depression. Alternatively, online therapy services, such as Talkspace or BetterHelp, can match you with a therapist who specializes in depression. If you want to explore medication options, there are many online psychiatry services that offer medication management and consultations, making it easier to access the support you need without having to travel.

Treatments for Depression

Treatment for depression usually consists of therapy, medication for depression, or a combination of both. Therapies such as cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) for depression are often sufficient to treat mild symptoms effectively. However, if you are struggling to get out of bed, you may need both medication and therapy right from the start of treatment.³

Other Reasons Why You Might Be Struggling with Laziness

Understanding the possible reasons for your difficulties with laziness can detach some of the shame and stigma that is often associated with it. Laziness can very well be a symptom of something else. Closely examining where your struggles with laziness stem from can unmask the true cause and give you an opportunity to effectively address and resolve/treat it.

Here are some other reasons you may be struggling with laziness:^{1, 2, 4, 5}

• ADHD: Individuals with ADHD can develop chronic avoidance behaviors like procrastination in activities/tasks they find boring, too difficult, and/or frustrating to complete.
• Stress: Toxic stress can trigger a mental/physical decline, causing sleep issues, anxious mood, and a variety of health issues that lead to poor daily routines and general performance.
• Complex PTSD (CPTSD): The complicated nature of CPTSD and its resulting impact can lead to cognitive and physical symptoms of laziness, like low self-esteem, decreased feelings of independence, general fatigue, and avoidance of responsibilities.
• Anxiety: Experiencing anxiety can be overwhelming and exhausting, causing fatigue and difficulty completing tasks. Avoidance is also a common symptom of anxiety, which can lead to perceived laziness.
• Bipolar disorder: Depressive symptoms that accompany a diagnosis of bipolar disorder can lead to feelings of laziness. You can often feel fatigued and unmotivated, which can decrease your ability to maintain basic needs and quality of life.
• Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD): The high expectations and intense perfectionism that accompanies OCD can lead to fatigue and avoidance of responsibilities, which can make you feel like you are being lazy.
• Poor physical health or illness: Medical conditions like chronic fatigue syndrome, rheumatoid arthritis, multiple sclerosis, and others can cause a significant decrease in personal, occupational, and/or social activities. Lifestyle deficiencies such as poor nutrition, sleep issues, lack of exercise, substance abuse, and so forth.
• General dissatisfaction: Dissatisfaction and/or purposelessness on a task or with life in general.

These are just some of the reasons, among a wide variety of others. A good rule of thumb and place to start is to discuss your concerns with your primary doctor.

How to Get Motivated If You’re Feeling Lazy

Sometimes it is inevitable to feel like we are stuck in a rut, uninspired or simply bored with everyday life. This can happen to anyone and at any time. Even if it seems impossible, the truth is that there are things you can do to motivate yourself, even when you have no motivation to do anything.

Here are a few tips to get you out of a funk and motivated if you’re feeling lazy:

• Look online for inspirational blogs/articles/videos or listen to some Ted Talks, podcasts or uplifting music
• Purchase/rent self-help audio or motivational books
• Take a mindful walk and ponder on all the possibilities at your disposal, or examine the things you’ve done in the past that helped you come out of a slump
• Call or visit someone you enjoy talking to and/or that will lift your spirits
• Do something for yourself, like getting a massage or a haircut, taking a bubble bath, and so forth
• Find a hobby that you can realistically stick to
• Get moving – whether it is going to the gym, doing housework, or brisk walking, exercise can benefit your mental health
• Organize your space or move your furniture around
• Keep track of your progress and reward yourself

There is no rhyme or reason as to which specific tools can get you back on track as long as these are healthy, effective, and align with your personality. The main point is to switch things around and break the monotony. Even the smallest change can help you get into a better mindset, improve your mood, and reignite your motivation.