You want to start. You really do. But instead, you scroll, distract yourself, or tell yourself ‘I’ll do it later.’
When anxiety, stress, and self-doubt are present, it’s hard to motivate and discipline yourself into action. But the key isn’t self-control. It’s discovering what is behind the fear and emotions keeping you procrastinating.
Identifying those feelings you are avoiding is a powerful step to helping you overcome the self-imposed barriers preventing you from showing up for what matters most.
So why does procrastination really happen, and how do you move through it? Read on to uncover what’s holding you back—and what you can do about it. 😊
The Emotional Roots of Procrastination
Procrastination has nothing to do with being lazy. It’s a defensive mechanism. When self-doubt and fear come up, the mind perceives them as a threat, triggering tension, stress, and anxiety in the body.
Procrastination becomes a way to avoid these uncomfortable sensations. Your mind is simply trying to shield you from the emotions triggering these intense nervous system responses. It’s not a failure, it’s an act of self-protection.
Different states of being can put us in the procrastinating seat:
- Feelings of overwhelm and not able to cope
- Self-judgement and self-criticism
- Insecurities
- Fear of rejection or failure
- Burnout
- Stress and anxiety.
- Poor Time management
ADHD could also be included here due to struggling with the challenge of keeping focused or being organised.
Who You Are vs. What You Feel
Recognise that whatever feelings are present, they are not who you are. Do not identify yourself with being the fear, the emotions, the feelings.
You ARE NOT overwhelmed, you have feelings of overwhelm.
You ARE NOT anxious, you have feelings of anxiety.
You ARE NOT burned out, You are in a burnout.
This applies to other emotions and feeling states.
In other words, you are not what you fear, feel or sense. It is something that is happening to you.
The Hidden Connection Between Poor Boundaries and Procrastination
Procrastination is rarely just about time management. If you relate to these, you’re not alone—I see them come up all the time in my sessions with clients:
- You’re in the habit of people-pleasing
- You constantly worry about what people think of you
- You struggle to advocate for your needs
The fear of letting anyone down can make saying “no” feel impossible, so you overcommit. And this could leave you feeling like you have no time or motivation to do what is important for you. Eventually, this inner build-up of unexpressed feelings can lead to pure exhaustion, overwhelm, or even burnout.
Setting boundaries is a valuable tool to integrate into your life, especially if you are in the caring business or are in the habit of prioritising the needs of others over your own.
Your sense of self is not dependent on the opinions of others.
Prioritising your well-being without guilt or shame is what is most important for yourself first and foremost. You are worthy and deserving of your own time, of looking after your own needs and what benefits you in the long run.
You are the most important person in your life.
How do you break the procrastination cycle?
Small manageable steps are key. They give a message to the thinking mind that all is well, helping to regulate the nervous system into a calmer state of being.
These small measurable steps could be:
- Putting a timer on for 15 minutes when beginning a task: You have a higher chance of being encouraged to keep going once you’ve started and get it finished.
- Setting yourself small realistic target goals: These can help you get motivated to start the activity or project you want to accomplish.
- Breaking activities into smaller manageable pieces: Can also be beneficial and help remove any sense of pressure of needing to get it all done in one go.
- Clear the mind of any unnecessary clutter: Try writing out the initial thoughts that are present or any feelings that are coming up.
- Take away any limiting beliefs: These could be beliefs you might be harbouring from past conditioning or programming.
- Avoiding all words associated with expectations: such as, shoulds, need to and have to. These pressure words will only get in the way and hinder your progress.
Struggling with a burnout? Accept the situation as it is. Resisting it only puts your inner body into conflict and creates more tension, which could possibly aggravate the situation.
For feelings of overwhelm, draw out a mind map (spider gram) and write all the words you can think of related to overwhelm, same with anxiety, burnout.
How Do You Stay Motivated After Taking Action?
Recognise your greatness and celebrate your wins. Allow yourself to trust in the belief that everything is possible. Believe in yourself and your capabilities, remember past achievements and successes.
Give yourself rewards for each task accomplished. This will encourage positive reinforcement and motivate you to continue to pursue your goal as well as making the experience more enjoyable, rather than a chore that has to be done.
If you find you’re procrastinating, don’t be hard on yourself
Be compassionate and understanding with yourself. Remember that procrastination is not laziness or failure on your part. Step back for a moment and recognise the cause that lingers behind procrastination.
Understanding the reason you behave in a certain way makes it easier to make the changes needed to overcome the challenge and gain strength to move forward in achieving your goals
If procrastination feels like an endless cycle, embodiment coaching can help you break free. Instead of pushing through resistance, we explore the deeper emotional and nervous system patterns keeping you stuck.
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