Do you find yourself putting things off for some unexplained reason?  Do you sit for hours and hours avoiding doing something you know you have to do?  Ever wonder why this is so?  The reason lies in what you’re afraid of, and way out is easier than you would imagine.  Regardless, you’re stuck in procrastination.

Procrastination is an Epidemic These Days

Procrastination tends to go hand in hand with both depression and anxiety, and both of these are on the upswing these days.  The most recent information I’ve gotten estimates that with the pandemic and recession we are now in, reports of depression and anxiety have tripled just in the first half of this year.  I see procrastination a lot in my clients, and can assure you there is plenty of company in the procrastination nation!

Procrastination is Caused by Fear 

Typically people develop some kind of aversion to doing something out of some thoughts about the future.  Maybe I put off cleaning my home because of how much work I feel like it will entail.  Then your mind starts making it snowball in terms of how hard it is going to be to clean it.  The longer this goes on, the more fearful the image of how much work it is going to be builds in your mind.  This image gets stuck in your mind and you become fixated on it, which in turn leads you to try to avoid it.  This could take the form of sitting on the couch or lying in bed trying to do anything to avoid dealing with the issue.  You know what that leads to...more procrastination!

Procrastination is Being Frozen in Overwhelm

What happens is there is an experience of feeling frozen that builds up related to what it is you have to do, so you really can’t do it even if you want to.  The old saying is ‘The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak.’  What’s going on with procrastination is that the spirit is willing, but the flesh is frozen!  You’ve gotten so much fear built up around the imagined worst-case scenario that you are practically stuck in place.  The goal at this point is to somehow break the ice, but how is that done?!

How Image Transformation Therapy Breaks Procrastination

Image Transformation Therapy, or ImTT for short, is a breathing and visualization technique that helps process out emotions such as fear, terror, shame, and guilt in a simple and straightforward manner.  It is the only major form of therapy I know of that specifically targets feeling frozen, which is directly related to procrastination, and thereby can help free you from procrastination.  After that, the main thing is to target the overwhelm and image related to the procrastination, and the image is almost never a realistic one.  These are each handled separately, but are very manageable in and of themselves.

Procrastinating About Getting Help

Sometimes you may even struggle in identifying the problem or getting help for it.  This is part of what makes procrastination such a difficult problem to overcome.  There can be so much resistance to doing anything about the problem simply because you may struggle to identify it as such or feel so much ambivalence about doing anything about it.  We are trained to seek pleasure and avoid pain, and who wants to deal with a scary outcome they’ve invested so much time and energy into avoiding???  

I Can Help You Break Out of Procrastination Nation

I have worked with countless individuals who struggle with procrastination, and can tell you that although this can be a challenging problem to struggle with, it is possible to get out of it.  I have helped many people deal with their feelings of overwhelm, frozenness, and with terrifying ‘nightmare’ images that go with procrastination.  I can assure you it is all do-able in terms of taking off the shackles that keep you tied to this issue.  If you want to get an idea about whether I can help you or not, feel free to call me at the number above or fill out the form below and I will get back to you for a free 20-minute phone consult.  Regardless of the outcome, reaching out for help is a direct counter to perhaps decades of just passively living in ‘Procrastination-Nation.’  You deserve to break out today!

About the author:  Scott Kampschaefer, LCSW is a private practice therapist in Frederick, Maryland.  He has an extensive background in working with depression, anxiety, and bipolar disorder at a clinic for older adults with these disorders in Austin.  He now works with adults and adolescents 14 and up in private practice. His e-book is entitled Life’s Lessons from the Young and the Old and is available for purchase on Amazon. 

Visit our page on anxiety therapy to learn more about how Scott can help you with anxiety.