Procrastination associated with psychological anxiety is a common psychological and cognitive phenomenon among people, especially young people, that negatively impacts the achievement of goals and tasks, whether in their academic and professional lives, or their family and social lives. In our next article, we will answer the most important question that many people have: Is there a relationship between procrastination and psychological anxiety?
What is the relationship between procrastination and psychological anxiety?
There is a close relationship between procrastination and psychological anxiety. Each may lead to the other, through a set of matters and factors that we will explain in the following points:
Feelings of anxiety that lead to procrastination
- The negative thoughts and feelings that accompany anxiety may be a trigger for a person to postpone certain tasks and goals that they wanted to achieve.
- Feelings of perfectionism can cause procrastination due to the fear of not achieving the goals and tasks that one wants to achieve perfectly.
- Psychological anxiety can cause physical and mental exhaustion, causing a person to postpone certain tasks and continue to procrastinate, especially boring and difficult goals and tasks.
- Fear of failing at tasks can cause a lot of anxiety, which leads to procrastination, avoidance, and not pursuing them at all.
Procrastination feelings that lead to anxiety
- Procrastination in accomplishing certain tasks and goals is the main reason for feelings of failure and increased depression, which can be considered the beginning of psychological anxiety.
- Procrastination can lead to increased feelings of anxiety and stress due to the potential repercussions of not completing tasks and goals.
- Procrastination leads to feelings of frustration and self-loathing for not being able to complete certain tasks, which can be a trigger for feelings of anxiety.
What are effective ways to deal with anxiety to prevent procrastination?
There are a number of ways to deal with or eliminate anxiety and avoid procrastination. The most important of these are:
Ways to calm anxiety
- Some psychological strategies can be followed to calm and relieve anxiety, such as talking about some negative feelings and thoughts and practicing some breathing exercises or yoga.
- Change your daily lifestyle, such as following a healthy diet, getting enough sleep, walking for at least half an hour daily, and avoiding any causes of anxiety and stress.
- Sharing feelings and thoughts with close people, such as friends and family members, can help relieve stress and anxiety.
Ways to get rid of procrastination
- Determine the goals and tasks that the person wants to accomplish.
- Break these tasks down into smaller goals and rank them according to their difficulty or highest priority.
- Organize time for each task and set a specific time limit for completion.
- Change some tasks into games or techniques that make the process easier.
- Mix up some difficult tasks with fun ones to reduce procrastination.
- Get self-support by giving yourself a reward when you complete a task.
- You can ask for help if you feel some difficulty in accomplishing goals or tasks.
How do I support myself to reduce anxiety and procrastination?
Providing psychological support is an important way to help relieve anxiety and procrastination. This can be achieved by identifying the thoughts that cause anxiety and increase the desire to procrastinate, breaking tasks down into smaller parts to achieve them more efficiently and with more focus, and rewarding oneself periodically. Practicing certain types of sports or relaxation techniques on a daily basis can also reduce feelings of procrastination resulting from anxiety. If self-support fails, you can seek help from loved ones or a specialist.
When should you seek psychological help for procrastination?
Procrastination is a cognitive condition with numerous effects and signs that warrant seeking psychological help from a specialist to identify the causes of procrastination, understand its roots, and develop treatment plans to eliminate it. The most important of these are:
- Negative impact on a person's life in general, whether at work, at school, in the family, or with friends.
- Increased risk of psychological disorders that a person suffering from procrastination may experience, such as severe anxiety and depression.
- Failure in all attempts to complete tasks and frequent procrastination.
- Suffering from mental and physical exhaustion and fatigue.
- Feeling guilty and self-loathing for not being able to complete tasks and procrastinating.
