At some point in time, you, like many others, may have experienced some sort of pattern of procrastination. While many of us have avoided a thing or two on our to-do list for a couple of days, others may have never ended up doing the task that they were meant to do. Regularly procrastinating tasks is not always just about being “lazy”. According to research, procrastination may be connected to a “fight or flight” response that occurs in our brains. Like many other problems we may face in our daily lives, there are ways for us to understand the root cause of our anxiety in order to fix it.
Anxiety & Its Symptoms
A lot of people will experience anxiety at some point in their lives as it is a very normal response to nerve-racking life events. However, when symptoms of anxiety turn out to have
larger control over you than the event that triggered them itself, this could be a sign of an anxiety disorder. Anxiety is your body’s natural reaction and response to certain situations that are perceived as hazardous or stressful. One of the most common symptoms is excessive worrying that is as severe as it is intrusive. This, in turn, makes it challenging to actually focus and carry out even simple daily tasks. If someone is suffering from an anxiety disorder, they may experience a feeling of restlessness that would keep them constantly feeling like they are on edge or that they have an uncomfortable need to keep on moving. Some of the symptoms of anxiety are physical, too. Because a person feels anxious, a part of their nervous system goes into overdrive. Their heartbeat starts to race, their palms may become sweaty, their hands may start shaking, and their mouth would dry out. Anxiety disorders are, by far, one of the most common mental illnesses in the Middle East. Hence, it is important to recognize some of their symptoms in order to deal with them accordingly and appropriately.
Recognize Anxiety-Induced Procrastination
It is very common for anxiety and procrastination to go hand-in-hand. Usually, when we feel anxious about something, we will put it off because we are scared of what may happen. For example, if you keep postponing your driving test, it may be because you are scared of failing or getting hurt while driving. While some instances of anxiety-induced procrastination may be obvious, others are not as clear to sufferers or even observers. Sometimes, a person may not even feel anxious about the task as a whole but rather about a few aspects that make it up. For instance, you may not want to make a certain phone call to somebody but, once you get that part over with, you find that the conversation itself is not worrying at all. Other times, someone may feel resentment towards an aspect of a task that they feel is a waste of time. When people with anxiety disorders feel like a certain arrangement is not working for them, their sense of not fitting in is triggered. Consequently, this leads to them feeling anxious about that. Lastly, anxious people will often respond to their anxiety with perfectionism. What is meant to be a small and manageable task would turn into an overwhelming task instead.
How to Effectively Deal with It
Once you recognize that your procrastination may be anxiety-related, you can begin using anxiety management strategies. For example, you can break down a task into many smaller parts to reduce your anxious emotions and make that task appear more manageable. Speaking up about your anxiety can also help others understand the importance of aiding you with certain responsibilities. Expressing this feeling would elicit them to respond in more caring ways. Lastly, acknowledging your anxiety will actually help you become more compassionate towards yourself. Instead of criticizing and being hard on yourself for procrastinating, you can work with yourself to overcome it. Understanding that you are not just being lazy or sluggish but rather feeling anxious about a task could help some of the anxiety you may be feeling.
Procrastination is a ruthless cycle that is caused by many factors including anxiety, yet it can create more anxiety as a result. It is a problem that should unquestionably be recognized and resolved because doing so could help prevent future procrastination caused by anxiety. While taking action may be challenging at first, it is hopefully bound to result in a better payoff in the future.