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What is procrastination?
According to Dicitonary.com, procrastination is ‘the act of delaying or postponing something.’
So who here has experienced or is actively procrastinating? Me!
Over the years as I have learned more about myself and worked on myself, I realized that procrastination is a form of coping for my anxiety. Like I always say to my husband, I have a lot of anxiety but just not enough to be formally diagnosed because it does not negatively impact my life in personal, social, and work settings. This information that I am sharing may ring true for some people while it may not ring true for others. However, this is my experience of procrastination.
Fight, Flight, or Freeze
When we are faced with a danger, our anxiety spikes and our brain goes into a fight, flight, or freeze mode. Procrastination is a flight response so it explains why I would suddenly want to clean the house, cook a meal, do a Harry Potter marathon, etc. instead of working on my homework. I am fleeing the “danger” which is my homework. However, once the due date approaches, my brain switches into fight mode. All of my energy is focused on completing my homework thus the ability to focus without any distractions and the lack of need for food or water. In the past (especially in undergrad), there were days/nights where I could spend 6-8 hours in front of a laptop typing away and pumping out 3-4 papers. During this time, I would be so focused that if anyone was to talk to me, I would not even hear them. I would also forget to eat and my mom had to actually feed me.
Once my homework was completed and turned in, I would feel a rush of relief and have no more energy to do anything. I would mope around for the next few days until I have recharged.
How about you?
What are your thoughts with this snippet of information that I shared with you? Does it ring true? Is it full of bs? Let me know what your thoughts are about procrastination. Until next time!
ARA COUNSELING 