Could My Problems with Procrastination be Related to Anxiety?
Procrastination is an extremely common problem and one that most people have experienced at some point in their lives. It is especially prevalent among students (more than 25% of students suffer from procrastination). There are plenty of resources to help people cope with occasional or mild levels of procrastination, but what if the roots of the problem are deeper than a self-help book can fix?
I have personally struggled with a tendency to procrastinate, and tried numerous ways of dealing with it, without much success. Once I realized that it was related to anxiety (for me) the problem became a whole lot more manageable. Over the years I have worked with many clients who have gained similar insights and methods of coping with procrastination, leading to improvements in self-esteem, productivity, relationships, and an overall reduction in anxiety.
A Vicious Cycle
Anxiety can cause procrastination, and procrastination can increase anxiety, causing a downward spiral of increased immobilization and mounting problems and pressures. Habits of distraction (procrastination’s twin) become more pronounced and ingrained.
Tips to break the cycle:
The ten-minute rule: tackle something related to the thing you are procrastinating on or start the project itself for just 10 minutes. Could be something simple like getting your notes organized or setting up your workspace. Going for a ten-minute walk could be start towards a goal of exercising daily. Over time you can increase this or vary it depending on the day, your energy level and other factors. Getting the ball rolling is always the hardest part.
Monitor your levels of anxiety before, during and after you face the dreaded project/activity. (on a scale of 1 to 10). You might find that your anxiety is very high before (precipitatory anxiety) and possibly even higher when you first start the activity. It often goes down shortly after you start and continues to decrease as you go and after you finish. Knowing what your typical anxiety pattern is can help you prepare your coping methods ahead of time. Accepting that you are probably going to be anxious can help reduce the anxiety a bit in itself (paradoxically).
Be kind and compassionate with yourself! Self-compassion is an excellent way to cope with anxiety. One example of self-compassion could be making a nice cup of tea before you start and telling yourself that this is a really hard, boring, etc task, but you are doing it! Validating feelings of fear, irritability, anger, distaste, boredom, etc often help us increase tolerance to the feeling, which is usually a lot more effective than trying to ignore the feeling or telling yourself that you shouldn’t feel it.
Use other methods of calming your anxiety, especially before and at the start of the task (when anxiety tends to the be highest). Breathing techniques, sensory awareness, positive self-talk and mindfulness skills are a few examples of skills I teach that can help you ease yourself through the task. Other resources for learning these skills include: yoga or meditation classes, books, and online sources. For example, a task that feels boring, like washing the dishes, could be elevated to a mindfulness meditation, where you experience every sensory nuance and movement to the fullest.
Do some automatic writing (free flow of consciousness) about the task you are avoiding. You may discover some hidden fears or patterns of belief that are getting in the way (for example, fear of success or failure, not being good enough). Bring these issues to your personal therapy to work on.
Find a good time of day to tackle the project. Most of us are more energetic earlier in the day, but everyone has their best times. It’s important not to be rushed or try to squeeze it in to a small space of time. That will add even more anxiety! (That being said, many of us will rely on the pressure of a close deadline to force completion of a task, but that usually brings a whole host of new problems to the mix).
Distract from your distractions. Put phones away and turn off other distractions like TV’s, etc. Some people find it helpful to use these activities as a reward after they finish the task they’ve been avoiding. Try not to judge yourself too harshly for getting distracted, we all have a natural tendency to avoid activities that bring up uncomfortable feelings and anxieties. Avoidance serves as a protective mechanism that can be replaced gradually with healthier coping methods.
Validate your feelings and be compassionate towards yourself, but the goal is to still do the task even when you don’t feel like it. Many people wait until “they are ready” or “inspired” to do something, but often that time never comes. More often, the uncomfortable feelings get stronger over time, and guilt and shame is added to the mix when something has been put off for a long time. Learning to tolerate uncomfortable feelings is part of the process. (Exceptions to this include trying to force yourself to do something that brings up traumatic memories or feelings you really aren’t ready to handle, or triggers a panic attack. In those cases, extra support or therapy may be needed before you start the task).
Start with the easiest things (or short bits with hard things) and work up as you develop self-soothing skills and increase tolerance to feelings. Some experts recommend the opposite, known as “eating the frog”, but for anxiety related procrastination, I recommend a gradual approach (systematic desensitization). Set yourself up for success by doing shorter, more frequent sessions with small, concrete goals. Achieving small goals will build the confidence and motivation to keep it up for the long term.
Get support from friends and family when appropriate. For example, make a commitment to a supportive friend to complete a goal for the day and call him/her/them back when it is finished.
These are just a few ideas to consider when building your personal plan to tackle procrastination. If you have tried some of these things already (unsuccessfully) or your anxiety is too overwhelming, it may be best to work closely with a therapist on this issue. The presence of symptoms related to other disorders, such as PTSD or depression might bring another layer of complexity to the problem and warrant appropriate treatment/guidance. Thank you for reading and if you are interested in talking further about how my services might help, contact me for a free 15 minute phone consultation.
