Procrastination – Could it be depression?
THANK GOODNESS FOR TOMORROW OR IS IT “TODAY?”
“I joined a support group for procrastinators…. We haven’t met yet.” That was the joke I read the other day that made me laugh and got me thinking. Yes, it was a cute play on words. However, in reality, it can be very frustrating for the procrastinator and for the family, co-workers and friends of the one who procrastinates.
We’ve all heard quotes like, “Never do today what you can put off for tomorrow. Better yet, never put off until tomorrow what you can avoid altogether!” We all have tasks that we have put off until the last minute. Even as kids we procrastinate. Remember having those projects in school that we knew about for at least two weeks and then tried to cram everything in one or two days to get it done? Wasn’t that an enjoyable experience?
Even now as adults some of us do the same thing. What’s your feeling about April15?
We all know it’s coming. We start getting the W-2’s in the mail in January so we have plenty
of time to get all of our information together, and yet how many of us have scrambled at the last minute to get it done on time. The government is even so gracious as to “help” us out by staying open late for us last minute filers.
While most people can relate to these two examples of procrastinating, I would like to discuss the correlation between procrastinating and depression. That sounds surprising doesn’t it?
THE LINK BETWEEN PROCRASTINATION AND DEPRESSION
It’s the classic example of the chicken and the egg. Which comes first? We can ask the same question regarding depression and procrastination. Do you procrastinate because you are depressed or are you depressed because you procrastinate?
Whether it’s filing your taxes, making a doctor’s appointment, or cleaning out the garage, most people procrastinate to some degree. A lack of motivation and a low tolerance for frustration being the most common causes. However, for those who have been diagnosed with depression, the tendency to procrastinate can become even more troublesome.
Procrastination does not actually “cause” depression but when someone is depressed they tend to lack motivation and can feel overwhelmed when a task is before them thus often leading them to feel even more depressed.
Even though it can be difficult to stir up the motivation to get something done, fighting the tendency to procrastinate is a necessary step in the right direction to taking control of your life. When a person is depressed it is easier to just lay in bed and give up. But, if they can manage to get up and get one task done no matter how small, it can bring a sense of accomplishment and can build motivation to tackle something else.
I don’t want to lead you to believe that all people who procrastinate are depressed. That is certainly not the case. But if you know you put things off frequently and you just can’t seem to motivate yourself to getting even small things done, let alone major tasks, there could be an underlying cause that probably needs to be looked into.
There is more to procrastination than a desire to sit around all day and do nothing. It really is putting off living your life. The question being “Why?” It could be for various reasons.
DON’T PUT OFF TOMORROW WHAT YOU CAN DO TODAY!
If you realize you are a chronic procrastinator and are tired of it disrupting your life, I invite you to call and make an appointment with me at (616) 516-1570. Maybe you would just like to find out why you procrastinate and need someone to give you strategies to overcome it. OR what you might discover is that what you have been dealing with is really depression. Either way, help and hope are just a phone call away.
