Just Do It….?
How do you deal with procrastination? Do you sometimes feel too tired or too drained to face the challenges of the day? You might be surprised to learn that this is not an uncommon condition. With increasing levels of stress and pressure, more and more people are struggling to maintain momentum in their lives. We should take note of this trend because it’s a reliable indicator that our lives are often out of balance.
The most popular approach to this problem is to find a burst of adrenaline and a splash of enthusiasm to overcome our inertia and pick up the pace once more. But we would be wise to appreciate the difference between the resistance we feel when our fears impede our progress and the mental and physical fatigue that’s telling us to ease up and take a break. We live in a culture that rarely distinguishes between these two basic causes for hesitating and procrastinating. Of course, when we face a threatening situation and the adrenaline response kicks in, we can summon up enormous reserves of raw energy. We should bear in mind that this survival instinct has a hefty price attached to it.
It's a fact. We did not evolve to run our lives on adrenaline and cortisol. The stress response was only intended to be engaged for two or three minutes, enough time to flee, fight, hide or freeze. Living each day with elevated adrenaline levels is neither natural nor beneficial to our health and wellbeing. As the fear levels rise, our ability to think clearly diminishes. When we’re under too much pressure, our instinct to freeze becomes more apparent. This is where inertia and procrastination replace our ability to think clearly and constructively. So, one of the reasons that busy people can feel overwhelmed is that the stress response is suppressing their cognitive function. This is the body’s way of communicating that it’s time to take a break and step back from the work, breathe more deeply and relax the neck, jaw, face and shoulder muscles.
Human behaviour is a fascinating and complex subject and procrastination may derive from a variety of sources. But, if we’re ready to recognise the increasing impact of stress in our lives, we should be prepared to engage the power of mindfulness and physical de-stressing techniques that can restore normal functioning within a few minutes. So, slow down. Breathe more deeply and let your higher brain function handle the workload rather than your instinct to run, hide or freeze.