Procrastination and Mental Health

Struggling with procrastination?

I scoured the internet looking for articles on procrastination and why we do it and these were some of the top reasons that I found:

Overwhelm

Fear of Failure

Depression/Anxiety

Small Tasks are Easier(tend to do these instead of a bigger task)

Lack of Motivation

Don’t know how to get started

Low Energy Level

I think in the last 3 weeks I’ve struggled with every single one of these! 

I was doing okay until a series of stressful events left me mentally and physically  stymied, I felt unable to move and go forward with life. Fatigue and pain…Yes! physical aches and pains, took over my body.

It was frustrating and hard to understand. How could this happen. I’m not that old!

I spent my days reading, and resting. I worked on writing my novel at least every day, even if it was only a few paragraphs that got written.

My husband took over making meals and grocery shopping. My son helped with vacuuming.

I was able to do small tasks, like laundry and tidying up.

I read my emails and the blogs I follow. I even tried to comment on them all but at times it was just too much. I would find myself unable to focus and overwhelmed with fatigue.

Blogging? That just didn’t happen.

Lack of energy and focus, perfectionism (because it has to be interesting and worthwhile reading!), blogging a post just seemed to be too colossal a task.

 

Despite all my best intentions, could not bring myself to write a single post. 

My Daily Walks, where I post photos that I take on my walk have been put on hold, I didn’t have the motivation, the energy to do it. And, I thought, nobody is really interested in it anyway. That’s depression talking. I know this. I really do.

I enjoy doing the Friday Posts where I share an excerpt from a book. But I couldn’t seem to decide which book to do. Indecision. For three weeks in a row.  The days snuck up on me, too! By the time I realized what day it was, it was, I felt, too late to even bother. I’ll just do it next week, I’d think. Friday Post fail.

Tips for when procrastination takes over:

• Make a list of what needs to be done. It is very satisfying scratching things off when you complete them
• Break the task into smaller chunks. Set small goals and do little bits at a time. You might even want to keep going and do more!
• Understand that failure is okay. Most mistakes can be fixed and it’s better to try than not do it at all.
• Just do your best. Nothing is ever perfect.
• Maintain a healthy lifestyle. Eat healthy, unprocessed foods, get enough sleep and at least 30 minutes of light exercise daily.
• Set goals that are attainable.
• Forgive yourself.

Here are some great articles that I found that might help if you are dealing with procrastination of suffering from depression and anxiety:

Six Tips for Overcoming Anxiety Related Procrastination

Four Main Causes of Procrastination Revealed

The Six Best Ways to Beat Anxiety

Four Things Not to do When Feeling Anxious

11 Ways to Overcome Procrastination