Overwhelm? PT 1 | How Do I Stay Motivated?
Overwhelm X Procrastination
I have found that one of the side effects to overwhelm is procrastination, and I was confused initially because I (and others) would equate procrastination with laziness. Delaying or postponing a task due to being unwilling to work or use energy. Procrastination equaled idleness. However when I think about my procrastination, especially these days, it’s not that I am unwilling to do what I need to do. It’s more that something or some things feel too much for me to deal with or manage. Some of that being due to emotional or mental stress, and other times because I have given myself too much to do. Anyone else relate?
InthisVogue India article, Cognitive neuroscientist Nawal Mustafa says:
“We may procrastinate when we are unable to manage negative feelings around a task (such as boredom, anxiety, insecurity, frustration, resentment, and self-doubt)... To make things worse, when we are under distress, the rational part of the brain (i.e., the prefrontal cortex) shuts down and the amygdala (the part of the brain that moderates our fear response) perceives the task as a genuine threat to our self-esteem or our mental health... this is known as the amygdala hijack which is when we are most prone to putting off the task because our brains are more concerned about removing the threat in the present moment.””
In this 2017 article on Good Therapy, it says: “An important thing to keep in mind is procrastination is representative of a bigger underlying factor. In order to address procrastination, it becomes imperative to look at the underlying issue. Often, feeling overwhelmed presents as procrastination. In other words, if we are feeling engulfed by what might be required of us, it may feel impossible to take any action toward those tasks.” Therefore, even the simplest of tasks start to feel like a burden or more complicated than they are.
I came across the below post from Allbright Instagram which I think is a helpful summary. Do you see yourself in any of this?
How do we climb out of overwhelm & the procrastination it leads to?
I use “climb” because climbing takes a lot of energy, especially when overwhelm leaves you mentally, emotionally & physically drained. It requires the whole body to work together to get to a place that is steady and secure. It’s not a sprint - it’s a marathon so I would say one of the first things one should do is acknowledge what is overwhelming you. You will also need to have patience with yourself in your journey and have a few manageable goals to help you navigate out of overwhelm.
Drawing on my current life experience, most of you as readers and friends will know that last year there were 2 close bereavements and as a more recent update unfortunately my Dad passed away unexpectedly in June. As a result I have been relearning how to be patient with myself in regards to my processing. Though it has been a year and 7 months since my Uncle and 15 months since my sister-in-law passed, it has only been 5 months since my Dad passed. My mental & emotional capacity is limited because everything is still raw, and yet in grief my brain tells me “you should be better by now”. I acknowledge that grief isn’t something you can get rid of. It’s something I have to learn to live with and that’s a LIFELONG process. So therefore grace & patience is needed.
One of the effects of this time of life is that my exercise & eating habits have been very, very lax. The exercise has reduced and the cakes have increased. I know that I have to get back to a place where it’s the opposite and in order to do that, I need to discern how much I am capable of managing now. For some people it’s 30 minutes every morning, 45 minutes every other day, etc. I was at a place previously where I was doing half an hour 4 days a week, but that’s not my time of life now. But what if I can put aside 5 minutes in the morning? Is that a goal I can work towards?
In terms of cakes & sweet things, what if I started by having something sweet 3 days a week instead of 5? Is there anything simple and healthy I can substitute it with?
I’m in the process of solidifying my goals down & finding someone to be accountable with. Maybe you can do the same. It might give you an extra boost of motivation. And at the end of each day (or in my case after every exercise session and sweet reduction) celebrate your win (more about that here).
Summary:
Acknowledge your overwhelm
Be patient with yourself
Get some manageable goals in place
A Prayer:
Lord, I pray for the person reading this post. If there is anything that resonates in the words written, I ask that You would help them to process and take action. Where simple tasks seem difficult, give them grace, patience and strength. Help them to discern how much they should be doing right now and also if they need to cut anything out. And Father, whatever their situation is, be their comfort, source and guide. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
