Now that we know what procrastination is and what it involves, let us understand the different ways it can manifest or affect us.
You may be a victim of more than one procrastination pattern. The goal is to know them so that you can recognize them when they are about to occur, identify the triggers, and employ possible solutions.
This is putting off taking action on your self-improvement. It could be your education, learning a skill, building a career, starting a business; your health such as postponing your medical check-up indefinitely, quitting smoking, consistently exercising; it could also be emotional avoidance, i.e., continuously putting off emotional commitments to a relationship even when you actually love the person, you postpone indefinitely.
Procrastinating working on our personal development often extends into feelings of failure & loss. You feel like you are not good at anything, can’t achieve anything. You look around you & fall into depressed mood when you see others winning. You can’t be truly happy f or them because it makes you recall that you’re not working on anything you can win at. Next you get fired up & decide to start on something, then your sour mood comes in & you put it off once again. Why? – Because you are procrastinating on your personal development.
You gradually start losing contact with friends & interest in your hobbies because you’re full of self–doubt, anxiety about starting, vulnerability & fear of failing at your goal. These can lead to depression. Sometimes too, you start but you can’t finish. You always seem to get stuck and postpone until gradually you can’t restart again, then you go back to square one and reaffirm yourself doubts and feelings of inefficiency. So asides losing academic marks and losing money, procrastination can make you lose friends and lose yourself too.
Technically, in personal procrastination you are resistant to change or emotional stress. You limit your ability to progress because of fearful mindset. Effects of personal procrastination are very deeply felt and can easily lead to mental health deterioration.
SIDE NOTE: – What self-limiting beliefs do you harbour? Can you see how they limit you from progressing towards your dreams?
– What skills do you need for your dream career but you’re reluctant to obtain? And why? Due to limiting beliefs?
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Watch Next Video: Social Procrastination.