Procrastination and Depression

 

It’s a New Year, and that inevitably means resolutions to change.  Often we wait until it’s officially January 1^st to make those changes, procrastinating right up to the clock striking midnight.  And sometimes we wait a little longer than that as well.

I recently read a phrase: “Procrastination means paying twice the price when you eventually must act.”

The relationship between procrastination and self-esteem not coincidental.  The reason is that self-esteem slips whenever integrity is sacrificed, and procrastination always demands the offering up of a tiny piece of our integrity.  Heavy-duty procrastination is also a first sign of depression in many people. 

I think there is a strong correlation between depression, self-esteem, procrastination, and failed or unacted-upon resolutions.

Suffering people say that when they are depressed, they feel overwhelmed, overburdened with “so much to do” that there’s no hope of ever getting it done.  There’s a feeling of powerlessness in insurmountable odds.  I often think about another phrase: “Want something done?  Ask a busy person!”  It is when we stop taking action—sometimes massive action and other times just a small first step—that we start to procrastinate and start to lose our self-esteem.  Inaction and not “showing up” is an exponentially harmful decision to make.

Getting back to depression, whatever the specific cause of it is, procrastination helps to set it up.  Many of us have procrastinated until there really is an unmanageable pile-up of undoable tasks.  In other situations, we allow a terrible buildup of pressure around a decision that we have put off repeatedly.  In these ways, procrastination, one little moment at a time, invites negative self-talk and negative thoughts and reduces self-esteem insidiously, moment by moment.

So, conquer it!  Take that first step!  Even if it’s a small one, do it earnestly and confidently.  I recently read a quote (yes, another one): “Habits are like Rabbits.  Put two together and they multiply!)

It’s impossible to be perfect, but we can try, and then try again.  What is the first step you can take in a healthier 2023?  Perhaps it’s a phone call to our office, where you can simply start a conversation about weight loss, reducing inflammation, improving your ability to move and exercise, or any and all of the above.  We can help.  Why wait any longer?  Take that first step, and feel an uptick in your self-esteem almost immediately.