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Showing posts from October, 2017

Procrastination in Depression: The Motivation Myth

Procrastination is putting off things for another day, or doing things which are not productive as an excuse of not doing what is important. Dr. Wayne Dyer (1995) in his book, Your Erroneous Zones , provides the rationale behind procrastination as a thought process which is something like this: “I know I must do that, but I am really afraid that I might not do it well, or I won’t like it. So, I will tell myself that I will do it in the future, then I don’t have to admit to myself that I am not going to do it. And it is easier to accept myself this way.” This temporary avoidance gives you a quick relief from the anxiety associated with a task, which then reinforces this behavior. We all have procrastinated at one time or the other, but in depression, procrastination becomes more complex due to the self-defeating attitudes of perfectionism (“I can do things only if I can do them perfectly”), hopelessness (“My low motivation and low energy levels are never going get better”), and fear