How to Beat Anxiety-Related Procrastination
Did you know anxiety can be the reason behind procrastination? There are many instances where we find ourselves struggling to get the ball rolling. It can be when we have a huge test coming up or going to the gym or another crowded place. The situation can get out of hand when you realize there’s no other way to get the task done. Procrastination, at that time, only adds to the anxiety.
Even the sound of the clock ticking can make your heart beat faster.
We all have been there. But, is there a way out?
Yes. And the good thing is we are going to help you with multiple ways out of anxiety-related procrastination. In this post, we have listed some of the best ways to get rid of procrastination and live a normal life. Here’s how to get over anxiety-related procrastination:
Jump off the cliff
Not literally, of course. Ever heard of the ‘brute force’ method? Look it up: When you fear doing something, you do it anyway without letting yourself think much about it. It can give you momentum before those procrastination-inducing thoughts fog-up your mind. It is an effective technique to get things done.
Slowly get on the track
Here’s the thing: The reason you’re getting so worked up is that the task is important to you, but you can’t get rid of the anxiety. When you know the job at hand is important, you can bring your mind to the right track (track of progression) by making way for it. Let’s say you have to write a 2000-word essay — a big task no matter whom you ask. If there’s a section of the paper that you care about the most, start by writing about that. Build your way to the whole by working on only a part.
Take enough breaks
You don’t have to complete the 2000-word essay in one go. It’s not just about anxiety and procrastination, but also about taking care of yourself when you are at it. So, how do you maintain the balance? You do that by taking breaks. If sitting down for 6 hours and completing the task frightens you, break the task into 30-minutes. Heck, break it down even further if you need to. The task will become much more manageable.
Ask for help
You don’t have to get it done yourself. Most anxiety disorders often prevent the person from asking for help. That’s just counterproductive. So, what do you do? Well, you brute force through your hesitation to ask for help. Ask a friend of yours to help you through the essay or any other task that triggers anxiety. The whole idea is to ask for help to help yourself relax and focus on the task.
Limit distractions
Distractions are not going to help you beat anxiety-related procrastination; distractions will break your flow. Since you want to keep at the task for long hours, you eliminate as many distractions possible — or any other emotional or physical triggers that can make your work suffer.
The tips mentioned above will definitely help you in your quest against anxiety-related procrastination. The tasks that scare us automatically encourage your brain to figure out ways to avoid them. Procrastination is just how your brain responds to the tasks. Understanding anxiety-produced procrastination will improve your odds of beating it.
