Doing witchcraft for the unmotivated/low-energy witch

[mark]

How do you guys make yourself perform acts of witchcraft, like spells and divination? Currently writing this from my bed haha. I struggle a lot with ADHD and depression. So I don’t really engage as much in my craft as I want to.

Edit: thank you all for your suggestions! It is very much appreciated and is uplifting

Discussion

[AbsintheTikiTi]

Whoa, you sound like me before I got on meds, so I can totally relate (ADHD, GAD, depression). I use visualization to help with spell work. I light a stick of incense, whisper a prayer, and release my intention. I have a simple banishing ritual memorized that is entirely visualization so I can do it from my bed or wherever is convenient. I have a tarot and Lenormand app on my phone for divination. There are some audio books on the occult that I listen to, I find that helpful as well. The secret with spell work is feeling your intention with emotion, then visualizing the outcome while changing the emotion to what that would be once it comes to fruition, then releasing it. If it’s communication with Spirit or Deity that you’re looking for, I usually will surround myself with white light and speak to Spirit before falling asleep, making sure to pay attention to my dreams and/or synchronicities the next day. You just gotta experiment and find what works for you.

[LittleFl00f]

ADHD, Autistic and depressed witch here! I’ve found that trying to do one tiny witchy thing every day helps with staying in the right ‘vibe’ (for lack of a better word). But you also have to accept that doing something every single day isn’t realistic. Just try to do something daily but also be kind to yourself when you have a bad day and can’t find the energy to.

Even being thankful for something everyday helps, you put that positive energy into the universe or you cam thank your deities if you have any. In my experience these little things added up are far more important than doing a big ritual every week or something.

Also for me tarot is kind of a special interest so it’s easier to do that cause I’m super passionate about it, try to find aspects of witchcraft you really enjoy/tend to focus on easier and then focus on those more! 🙂

Hope this helps even just a little, blessed be!

[thatwitchfromparis]

Anything can be magical..

I struggle with the same problem and I am really devoted to my magical studies.. But since COVID 19 first started, my mental health hit rock bottom..

You don’t have to perform a grand rite or call down the moon every other day..

Strongest magic comes from honest and clear intent, strong visualization and powerful benediction..

There are days where I am able to orchestrate a pretty lenghty rite.. But majority of my days, I just visualize and banish before sleep and do my prayers and blessings.

[savannahpanorama]

It helps me to remember that witchcraft isn’t about gaining power or meeting some goal, so much as it’s about recognizing the power already within and around you. Technically you don’t have to *do* anything. It’s all about what works for you and your own unique mind/body.

What works for me is small, daily habits. I don’t always get to them every day, but I *try*. And gradually I’m getting a bit better at it. In the morning I water my tobacco plant. During this time I might pray or meditate for a minute. After that I work the fever stone rite (basically pour water on a rock while chanting). It only takes a minute. I’ll either do all this while my coffee is brewing, or I go right back to sleep until my bf gets up. Couple this with random meditations (while TV is paused, waiting for a ride, cooking, etc), and the occasional entry in my grimoire, and that’s basically my practice in its whole. Super low key. I have housemates who don’t know I’m doing all this witch stuff around them

[moonsickk]

I listen to guided meditation while doing everyday stuff! I also work on my book of shadows in breaks as it is therapeutic to me. When I feel drained, I light a candle on my deities altar and ask them to give me strength. What’s important is that you remember to not pressure yourself, your craft is personal to you and you decide how to practice 🙂

[jouleheretolearn]

Chase the Dopamine and do little things.

You’re craving tea or coffee, stir in an intention for the day. You want to deep dive into research one day, do that.

Cleanse by cranking music that makes you move, and clean with roommate/loved ones ( parallel play and good vibes all around!).

If you hate sitting to meditate, DON’T! Instead, get up and get outside for a walk if you can in a green space, if that’s not possible – dance party where you focus on clearing out thoughts in your head and physically shake out others’ energies, etc.

Love to cook or bake? Visualize and mix in intention while doing so of how you want to nourish or help those who eat it feel. Like I want my family to feel warm, safe, and be nourished from the food. It also helps me do banal tasks when I’m not up for it.

Do “Butler Time” ( I don’t recall the redditor on ADHD who said this) but set a timer for 15 minutes at night to set up/clean up for future you. Imagine you’re the butler preparing for the next day. You can do this with care tasks and witchy stuff.

Make it easy to do simple witchy stuff by having stuff set up and visible because out of sight out of mind, like always have your candles( with a lighter) ready to meditate, smoke cleansing materials out for cleansing, etc.If you’re in the closet, obviously stick to stuff out that is more mundane.

Add magic to what you already love doing daily or do most days. Witchcraft isn’t just big rituals or aesthetic, it’s incorporating and grounding ourselves in magic in our daily lives.

[isabellaisabae]

I always keep crystals on me! Not only is it witchcraft, they can also help relieve some of what you’re going through.

[Rob_Fucking_Graves]

This isn’t really craft advice, just life advice, but I use time blocking to set time aside to do various things so that I can stay focused. That often includes studying, writing, and workings.

[laura_leigh]

Chronic fatigue sufferer here. It’s a lot of do what you can when you feel up to it. Don’t stress timing. Don’t beat yourself up if you miss things. I didn’t make Lammas bread this year because I wasn’t feeling up to it. I’ll get to it when I get to it. I miss moon phases and just try to hit them around the time or just wait if it’s not important. Sometimes I read tarot every day, sometimes it’s weeks between readings. Journaling gets done when it gets done. I order soaps from my favorite shop in NOLA and use them to make routine showers magickal. I take walks in my garden at my own pace and take time to enjoy the little things. I slow down and sit and meditate casually while watching the dragonflies and bees. I look at rest as a source of energy or meditation and don’t feel bad about making time for it. I’ve learned that witchcraft isn’t a race or a schedule. It’s a personal journey and a way to find yourself.

[Sojinna]

-I invested in Florida Water soap for cleansing. It sits in my shower, and I use it to remove negativity from outside forces. I also have some Florida Water in a mister to spray my bed. (It was in a set lol)

-Meditation/ or what I call “spirit-walking” is good for low energy. With my ADHD I have a hard time with guided meditations, so I just sorta let my mind go where it will, giving it just a small amount of guidance.

-I tend to be more intuitive in my craft. I follow guidelines, but I also let myself just feel it. It is extremely personal for me. Most of what I do is more self-care based, because of my depression.

[bi-bee-bb]

I am also a witch with depression (and anxiety!).

Here are some small things I’ve been doing that take little energy when you *pick one* that fits into your day!

* Setting intentions when I stir my coffee or tea.

As I stir clockwise I think of 1-3 things I want to welcome today (courage, concentration, motivation, self-love, joy, kindness etc) and as I stir counterclockwise I think of 1-2 things I’d like to banish from my day (self-doubt, anxiety, people pleasing, etc). Then I think “so mote it be” and lick my spoon lol.

* Watering and checking on my plants

I’ve killed more than a few plants bc of depression, and I’ve found regardless of platform (tiktok, IG, reddit) the plant enthusiast communities all seem to talk about this openly and without judgment: sometimes to keep yourself alive you ignore your plants and that’s ok! But I do find a lot of peace in caring for my plants now that I have a manageable amount. I have an altar for my late grandmother and the earth element is a baby plant my friend gave me, and caring for that plant connects my energy to my ancestors.

* CANDLES!

This is a pre-witch habit for me, actually. Candles are a great way to change the energy. Feel like shit? Light a candle. Can’t shower/wash your face/brush your teeth to save your life? Keep a candle in your bathroom and light it: now you’d feel silly leaving a lit candle in the bathroom so you might as well wash your hair over the side of the tub and clean your pits in the sink! Now: I don’t have ADHD, so if lighting a tiny fire is a bad idea for how your brain works there are alternatives! Diffusers are great, and so are room sprays (I have a lavender one that I spray at night to signal to my brain that We Are Winding Down for Bed). I also have some of those electric flickering tea lights (one is on my aforementioned altar) and they can be really lovely.

* Witchy apps!

I use a moon tracker app to feel connected to the moon’s cycle. Sometimes I set alarms in my calendar for when to put out water for the full moon. I use a tarot deck app to learn the deck. I have many many plant and mushroom identifier apps, as well as local pollinator and ocean tide trackers.

* During this summer’s heat waves I’ve been circulating the air in my bedroom by using a big hand fan, and as I fan the air throughout my room I set intentions:

fanning over my rocking chair and table I think about the creativity and learning that happens in that nook. Fanning over my bed I set an intention for relaxation and rest. Fanning over my big pile of laundry I try to think about loving myself unconditionally lol. This 1) shakes up the stale air and stale energy, and 2) gets me into a more intentional mind space (I dissociate super easily in the evenings)

[Natural-Berry-1740]

I’ve noticed that I get overwhelmed when I give myself a lot to do, like when I write out a really long To Do list and it hangs over my head. I try to stay grounded in the present, only think about the immediate next few minutes, and restrict myselves to five items when making to do lists (either physical or mental). I don’t have ADHD, but I’m battling anxiety/stress and get ‘foggy brain’ (unable to think clearly, can’t concentrate on anything), and that sensation is definitely worse whenever I feel overwhelmed with burdens.

[Jakku-Kun]

A good thing I like to do on the days when literally all I can do is drag myself into the shower then back to bed is to stand in the shower and literally just imagine the dark cloud raining down as black sludge, then letting that sludge rinse off in the water. It’s about as literal as a cleansing ritual can possibly get 🙂 It’s helped me out a lot of days

[redegg153]

I differ from a few folks here in that I do believe that witchcraft is a practice, not just something you think about. It is a craft, like knitting. You wouldn’t ask how to make yourself knit, so it isn’t necessarily useful to want to make yourself do witchcraft. Instead, what is it you love about it, and what is it that has you wanting to do it in the first place? We knit in order to create something–what is it you want to create in your life with witchcraft? Whatever it is, when you have it in mind, then ask how you might use witchcraft to achieve that goal in a way that works for you given your struggle with ADHD and depression.

Example: I want more beauty in my life. What is a spell you might do for that, that works for you? Maybe it is only burning a candle, as someone suggested. Maybe it is drawing a sigil and burning it. None of it has to be complicated, but having a good idea of why you want to do it in the first place can help. It isn’t a chore that you need to make yourself do.

[Adeptness-Plastic]

—Little things I love to do when I’m low energy/sad…—
1.) I have trouble drinking enough water as is, so I take a mason jar, and a lemon, and some fresh water. I roll the whole uncut lemon on the counter back and forth (it’s supposed to loosen up the juices) while listing all of the things I’d like to get accomplished for the day (it could just be like 3 little tasks or whatnot) and then I cut the lemon In half & squeeze the lemon juice into the mason jar filled with water.. and as I’m squeezing, I say out loud how I would wish to feel. Ex: “I am motivated, I am refreshed, I am happy, I am adventurous.”
I then stir the lemon juice around with a straw… whisper a couple little compliments into my water & say thank you for keeping me healthy, and then I make sure I continuously sip on it while I’m thinking about what needs to get done & I also make sure I don’t set it down (because I’m forgetful and will end up not drinking it)

2.) I also love to eat homemade yogurt bowls Or açaí bowls when I’m sad because I like to have each ingredient of the layers in the bowl represent different things I am grateful for or reasons why I love myself.
Example: The açaí mix= My body that keeps me safe & takes me everywhere. / The strawberries = My sense of humor / The blueberries= My creativity/ or also The granola = My immense amount of patience and love I have for myself …. and I list them out loud as I build my bowl. Which, is awesome because at the end of it all you’re getting a delicious bowl of sweet juicy fruit, which that alone is enough to make me happy. 😄🤍

Or if either of those are too much on certain days, just remember that you’re doing a great job at taking care of yourself .. (after all, you are here asking for ways to try and help yourself feel better, which is already amazing!) and that good days & bad days will come, which sometimes seem unbearable, but that you’re built to ride them out. You are strong and you got this!!!!!!!!!