Key Takeaways
- Anxiety can lead to procrastination by fueling perfectionism, overwhelm, and low self-esteem.
- Break big tasks into smaller, manageable steps to make progress and feel less anxious.
- Don’t wait for the perfect moment to start a task; just begin to make progress.
Procrastination can be a common problem for many people with anxiety-related conditions, including panic disorder. There are numerous symptoms of panic disorder and common anxious personality traits that can contribute to procrastination.
The problem with using procrastination to avoid the things that are making you anxious is that it makes anxiety worse in the long run. Instead of waiting until the last minute and adding even more stress to your life, finding ways to deal with anxiety and overcome the urge to procrastinate is a more effective response.
This article explores some obstacles that may hinder your progress toward your goals and responsibilities. Read through them and consider if you are allowing these potential roadblocks to lead to procrastination.
How Anxiety Causes Procrastination
Anxiety can lead to procrastination for a number of different reasons. Some of these include:
Perfectionism
Having an anxiety disorder puts one at risk of perfectionism. While it might seem like this perfectionism is a positive attribute, having such high standards can increase the risk of procrastination. Perfectionism can cause you to:
- Feel defeated when things don’t turn out exactly how you wanted them
- Put off tasks because you know you don’t have the time or energy to do them to your standards
- Engage in poor reasoning and self-talk, including the use of “should” statements (“I should complete this task perfectly or not at all.”)
- Experience self-criticism that derails your efforts to achieve your goals
Perfectionism can also lead to procrastination, as you need everything to line up perfectly before you feel ready to work on a particular task. You may always be waiting for the “perfect time” to start working on a goal.
Worry
Worrying can also prevent you from accomplishing your tasks and goals. Sometimes, our worry about the end results will keep us from completing certain responsibilities.
For example, you may put off going through your bills out of worry about whether you will be able to pay them. Perhaps you have been putting off certain self-care activities or talking to your doctor about panic disorder because you are nervous about the outcome of these tasks.
Feeling Overwhelmed
When faced with a large task, it is easy to feel discouraged by the amount of work ahead. Procrastination can be a sign that you simply don’t know where to begin. You may even feel paralyzed by the daunting amount of tasks ahead of you. Putting things off may temporarily make you feel better, but in the long run, it will most likely add more stress and anxiety to your life.
Fear and Low Self-Esteem
Sometimes, we are held back by our own negative beliefs and overpowering fears. People with anxiety disorders are often prone to poor self-esteem and can find it difficult to overcome negative thinking patterns.
Self-doubt and fear can make you feel you will fail to reach your goals. For example, you may jump to conclusions, believing you lack the skills needed to accomplish your goals. You may avoid getting started to avoid the disappointment you would feel if you did fail to meet your goals.
Dealing With Perfectionism
Fortunately, there are strategies you can use to help deal with worry and perfectionism that contribute to procrastination:
- Don’t wait for perfection: When you are dealing with anxiety, you might find yourself putting off tasks until you feel like you have all of the tools, information, or time to do them perfectly. By waiting for everything to be in order, you are actually putting off any progress and giving in to procrastination.
- Notice your worries and perfectionist tendencies: To begin to move past these issues, start thinking about how worry and perfectionism may be holding you back.
- Get comfortable with making mistakes: Give yourself permission to make some mistakes. Assess if perfection is necessary and even possible. Most people experience disappointments and failures along the way to success.
- Tackle tasks instead of worrying about them: It can be helpful just to get started on a stressful task rather than continue to worry about it.
- Break tasks down into smaller chunks. If a task seems overwhelming and that keeps you from getting started, break it down into smaller, more doable steps that help you make progress a little at the time.
The more we put things off, the more anxious we become about them. Think about what tasks you have been avoiding and begin to take action to complete them. You may be surprised by how much less anxious you will feel when steadily chipping away and progressing toward achieving your goals and responsibilities.
Coping When You’re Overwhelmed
At times when you feel overwhelmed and uncertain of where to begin, just start somewhere.
Pick out one small thing that you can complete to accomplish your larger goal. It may be helpful to list the many small steps that will lead to accomplishing a greater task.
In order to get started:
- Look at the big picture
- Examine all of the steps that are involved in completing the task
- Make a list of steps and the order in which they must be completed
- Estimate how long each step will take
- Set a timer and work on the project for a specific period of time
- Write them down and track your progress
Goals often become much more manageable when you break them down into smaller parts.
Overcoming Fear
To overcome your personal fears or negative self-concepts, begin to assess whether you really lack the skill set needed to complete a specific task.
To get started, ask yourself these questions:
- Can you learn and develop these necessary skills on your own?
- Is there a way you can delegate your tasks?
- Do you know anyone you can recruit to help out?
- Is it possible to hire someone to assist with getting the job done?
For example, let’s say you want to do more physical exercise, but fear and self-consciousness keep you from going to the gym. Is it possible to ask a trusted friend to go with you? Does the gym offer a guide or trainer to help you become more efficient in using the equipment? Or maybe you would be more comfortable exercising at home.
When fear and low self-esteem are leading to procrastination, try to push past negative thinking and find creative ways to accomplish your goals.
Press Play for Advice On Dealing With Procrastination
Hosted by therapist Amy Morin, LCSW, this episode of The Verywell Mind Podcast shares ways to stop procrastinating. Click below to listen now.
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Verywell Mind uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read our editorial process to learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.
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Henriksen I, Ranøyen I, Indredavik M, Stenseng F. The role of self-esteem in the development of psychiatric problems: A three-year prospective study in a clinical sample of adolescents. Child Adolesc Psychiatry Ment Health. 2017;11:68. doi:10.1186%2Fs13034-017-0207-y
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