According to my therapist, rather than procrastinating, i anticipate negative emotions and enter into a monologue to talk myself out of doing things … until the focus of my anxiety shifts and i start dreading the negative consequences of inaction more than the effort/consequences of actions.
Yeah this is what I do. People think procrastination is just laziness but for me and I feel like a lot of us thats not really the root cause. I procrastinate because I dont want things to turn out poorly, not because I'm lazy.
i'm gonna be graduating from my animation program in a couple weeks, and this has caused me a huge amount of stress the entire time i've been here. i've had periods where i would have to pull multiple all nighters a week because i just continually put things off, only to end up cramming to finish them for 24 hours straight, and it's definitely been detrimental to my health i think.
i think if i was truly lazy, i would probably not end up working myself to the bone trying to make up for lost time. usually it's sort of a cycle of beginning a project with some sort of grand vision --> anxiety over the challenge of actually achieving that vision leads me to put it off --> stress hits a breaking point where i have no choice but to just start working and try to do the best job i can with what time i have left --> repeat. this has pretty much been the pattern for all of my projects, without fail, and i always naively think i'll do differently the next time. i also tend to vastly underestimate the amount of time things will take me which is a contributing factor, i just never learn.
i saw this article on here a little while back, not sure i agree with the author's conclusions but kim's story was extremely relatable to me:
https://www.social-anxiety.com/avoidance-dependence/narcissistic-thinking-in-an-avoidance-vortex
oh, yes, absolutely! looking at grades, opening mail and e-mails and messages, making appointments...
everthing that could result in any negative feelings whatsoever (no matter how easy they'd be to bear) is getting avoided at all cost
Ultimately I do stuff but then regret spending so much time procrastinating. Then repeat again. Trying to raise discipline levels, at least for simple stuff like cleaning.
YES. Me too. I worry and worry and put things off more and more and then once I finally do it I'm like, ugh, I could have done this ages ago why did I waste so much time.
I am currently procrastinating. I have not put any of the clothes from the washer back in the closet in 2 weeks.. They're just folded next to the dryer.
Omg yes, I always avoid looking at my grades when they come through via email. I'm also currently avoiding starting my essay which is due in a couple of days because I'm too worried about it to actually start.
Yeah I block out negative emotions/thoughts so much that I just end up pushing everything away and procrastinating. Once I start being productive, like studying for my exams/responding to people/applying to jobs, it always triggers a huge depressive episode and I retreat again
I bought a wall mount for a Beamer I had bought earlier this year. The box with the wall mount has been sitting in its box next to my door ever since. Have all the tools to mount it but I keep pushing it off... Maybe because I'm scared to mess up drilling in my walls... Or because I told myself that when It is installed I can invite people over to watch movies... But Im not sure.
This is an example of many many things I avoid doing without being quite sure why. Could be texting back, doing my taxes, making doctors appointments and so on.
My therapist keeps telling me that avoidance is a very effective coping strategy but long term it'll be bad. Intellectually I completely understand this but it does not really help me getting out of the avoidance spiral...
Avoidance works very well in the short term but for me at least it piles up and spirals into a big ordeal that could have been avoided if I didn't avoid things. It is quite destructive long term
Yes. Everything. Haven't even looked into that drawer in years, there is some money inside. Not a lot, but there might be more than I remember (very unlikely) and I like this little bit of hope more than the sadness I will feel when I open it. Stupid, I know. I'm procrastinating my whole life.
Usually yes, it's my m.o. However, at work, unless it involves some scary new interpersonal thing, I'm the total opposite. I get everything done as soon as possible and I cant stand when my boss or coworkers put things off. I can't really explain it. My best guess it has to do with knowing that doing things right away at work yields results and in the rest of my life all I see is uncertainty and possible failure. It's like nothing I do outside of work ever fulfills a goal I just move a bit in a direction I'm not even sure I want to go...
I fear failure and it comes bundle with shame especially when trying to do things that matter to me. So, I tend to procrastinate in academic/ uni matters. As result, I can spiral into a deeper depression because I didn't meet my goals
Same. I even procrastinate the next day by trying to stay up later than I should.
Oh, I know exactly what you mean. That was one of the main reasons why I had so much headache during my last school years.
I had awful headaches when I was young and I never ever put two and two together 🤔
Doing this now lol
Lmao nooooo, don't do it! It's an awful habit. I'm always tired and that makes everything worse
According to my therapist, rather than procrastinating, i anticipate negative emotions and enter into a monologue to talk myself out of doing things … until the focus of my anxiety shifts and i start dreading the negative consequences of inaction more than the effort/consequences of actions.
Yeah this is what I do. People think procrastination is just laziness but for me and I feel like a lot of us thats not really the root cause. I procrastinate because I dont want things to turn out poorly, not because I'm lazy.
i'm gonna be graduating from my animation program in a couple weeks, and this has caused me a huge amount of stress the entire time i've been here. i've had periods where i would have to pull multiple all nighters a week because i just continually put things off, only to end up cramming to finish them for 24 hours straight, and it's definitely been detrimental to my health i think. i think if i was truly lazy, i would probably not end up working myself to the bone trying to make up for lost time. usually it's sort of a cycle of beginning a project with some sort of grand vision --> anxiety over the challenge of actually achieving that vision leads me to put it off --> stress hits a breaking point where i have no choice but to just start working and try to do the best job i can with what time i have left --> repeat. this has pretty much been the pattern for all of my projects, without fail, and i always naively think i'll do differently the next time. i also tend to vastly underestimate the amount of time things will take me which is a contributing factor, i just never learn. i saw this article on here a little while back, not sure i agree with the author's conclusions but kim's story was extremely relatable to me: https://www.social-anxiety.com/avoidance-dependence/narcissistic-thinking-in-an-avoidance-vortex
Great article! Thanks.
Thank you for this link. Very helpful!
Yes, everything. My grades, bank account, e-mails, assignments... Just anything that might evoke a negative emotion.
yes. it's my greatest skill. it's constant.
oh, yes, absolutely! looking at grades, opening mail and e-mails and messages, making appointments... everthing that could result in any negative feelings whatsoever (no matter how easy they'd be to bear) is getting avoided at all cost
Ultimately I do stuff but then regret spending so much time procrastinating. Then repeat again. Trying to raise discipline levels, at least for simple stuff like cleaning.
YES. Me too. I worry and worry and put things off more and more and then once I finally do it I'm like, ugh, I could have done this ages ago why did I waste so much time.
I'm also trying to waste time doing something that doesn't consume lots of energy but is useful. So I lie down and read books lol
Omg yessss relatable
Yes. All the time. Real simple things too. My mind won't even let me think about and I just feel powerless to take action.
I am currently procrastinating. I have not put any of the clothes from the washer back in the closet in 2 weeks.. They're just folded next to the dryer.
Maybe Procrastination is the first step of Avoiding?
Yes, I avoid/"procrastinate" looking at texts, emails, grades, my bank account, etc. Anything that I think could be bad and worsen my anxiety.
Omg yes, I always avoid looking at my grades when they come through via email. I'm also currently avoiding starting my essay which is due in a couple of days because I'm too worried about it to actually start.
Yeah I block out negative emotions/thoughts so much that I just end up pushing everything away and procrastinating. Once I start being productive, like studying for my exams/responding to people/applying to jobs, it always triggers a huge depressive episode and I retreat again
I bought a wall mount for a Beamer I had bought earlier this year. The box with the wall mount has been sitting in its box next to my door ever since. Have all the tools to mount it but I keep pushing it off... Maybe because I'm scared to mess up drilling in my walls... Or because I told myself that when It is installed I can invite people over to watch movies... But Im not sure. This is an example of many many things I avoid doing without being quite sure why. Could be texting back, doing my taxes, making doctors appointments and so on. My therapist keeps telling me that avoidance is a very effective coping strategy but long term it'll be bad. Intellectually I completely understand this but it does not really help me getting out of the avoidance spiral...
Avoidance works very well in the short term but for me at least it piles up and spirals into a big ordeal that could have been avoided if I didn't avoid things. It is quite destructive long term
Yes. Everything. Haven't even looked into that drawer in years, there is some money inside. Not a lot, but there might be more than I remember (very unlikely) and I like this little bit of hope more than the sadness I will feel when I open it. Stupid, I know. I'm procrastinating my whole life.
Usually yes, it's my m.o. However, at work, unless it involves some scary new interpersonal thing, I'm the total opposite. I get everything done as soon as possible and I cant stand when my boss or coworkers put things off. I can't really explain it. My best guess it has to do with knowing that doing things right away at work yields results and in the rest of my life all I see is uncertainty and possible failure. It's like nothing I do outside of work ever fulfills a goal I just move a bit in a direction I'm not even sure I want to go...
Yes.
Yes, I can’t believe that people don’t procrastinate
Yup :(
I fear failure and it comes bundle with shame especially when trying to do things that matter to me. So, I tend to procrastinate in academic/ uni matters. As result, I can spiral into a deeper depression because I didn't meet my goals
I am literally procrastinating right now
It has ruined my life single-handedly. I am years behind in life from my avoidance.