Instead of looking to understand what really procrastination is, why don’t you ask yourself the following?
- What are you specifically trying to avoid by not doing what you should be doing right now?
- How do you feel about yourself when you avoid the task in hand?
- How do you feel about that feeling?
(Non-native english writer here so please suggest editions at will)
Personally I procrastinate when I am not confident of my future in general. A person can procrastinate when depressed.I know because I have depression and it varies. When I am less depressed I plan more for the future and i procrastinate less. I feel that in my case it is not a rational process but rather it is a mode of operation that the mind puts itself into conserve both mental resources and physical resources. I have to point out that your English is perfect in your post.
Thanks for the first-hand feedback. Very interesting! In particular, I like your take on confidence and procrastination being more a mode of operation rather than a process.
I'm curious: what are the physical indicators (what do you feel in your body) when you're depressed? Have you ever managed to get out of this state by making a conscious decision?
(Thanks for your comment on my english!)
Some of the signs of depression for me are
You don't notice the beauty in the world. The colours seem drab and uninteresting.
In more severe depression you will be shocked by loud noises .
Your perception of the mood of the people around you will change. People can seem as if they are suddenly not able to be trusted and are out to do you harm. It is the hardest thing to ignore this feeling.
Every ache and pain in your body becomes more and even your bed seems uncomfortable.
one of the worst ones is you can all of a sudden feel extremely happy but that's just your body running empty of serotonin , straight after this happiness follows extreme sadness and a need to get away from people because the world for you has turned into a type of hell.
Muscles feel weak as if you have not had proper rest.
You never sleep deeply
There are plenty more things that happen. Here is little test you can do. Walk past a house that has loud dogs. In severe depression the barking of the dogs feels like it is almost hurting you. each bark is a shock even though you know it will happen. But without depression you hear the bark and your brain reduces the shock before you are able to feel it.
It is the reduction of shock or extra processing that I don't have in severe depression. I assume this is to make my mind work faster so that if there was a threat you would be able to react fast enough. But its no good to be on permanent alert.
Thanks for such a comprehensive account of your depression experiences. I haven't personally had a depression but I have endured bereavement grief (which according to specialists can share symptoms with depression) and your comments ressonate with me. Hopefully your words can help other people!
To answer the second part of your post "Have you ever managed to get out of this state by making a conscious decision?"
Yes I have managed to reduce the depression by avoiding things that require a lot of complex thinking.
Just like when you are running low on fuel in your car , you reduce your use of the accelerator.
The depressing thoughts that I get are a result of low serotonin and i know this because I was on medication which fixed me for a while. During this time my depressing thoughts and behavior disappeared. My mind worked extremely well. Unfortunately over the next 10 years it stopped working.
One major thing I learned is to slow down everything you do it saves serotonin.
Any body work at all? In my case, it's worked with my grieving.
Thanks @startrek99!
your welcome.
Procrastinating is only acceptable on steemit!
Indeed, it is!