Self-Management of Depression

We all have a list of "shoulds" that we consistently push to tomorrow. You should fold that mountain of laundry. You should hit the gym. You should finally tackle your monthly expense reports. But when the time comes to actually do them, your brain clamors for something else: an episode of your favorite reality show, a specialty iced latte, or a deep dive into a new podcast. What if you didn't have to choose between productivity and pleasure? Enter temptation bundling , a brilliant behavioral science hack that lets you indulge your guilty pleasures guilt-free while simultaneously crushing your goals. What is Temptation Bundling? Coined by Wharton School behavioral scientist Dr. Katy Milkman, temptation bundling is the practice of pairing an instantly gratifying "want" activity with a delayed-reward "should" behavior (Milkman et al., 2014). The golden rule is strict: you are only allowed to experience the temptation while you are perfor...

Procrastination is putting off tasks for another day or doing unproductive things as an excuse for not doing what is essential. While some procrastinate in certain situations, it becomes a habit for others. They leave dishes in the sink, don’t respond to e-mails, don’t pay bills, put off completing paperwork, finish assignments just before the deadline, or ask for extensions. In the latter group, procrastination becomes a form of avoidance. Psychologists consider avoidance as a maladaptive coping style that relieves one from the mental and/or physical effort of doing a task, reinforcing this behavior. Procrastination can be driven by irrational thought patterns, and sometimes, these are associated with depression and anxiety. The common irrational thoughts that foster procrastination include: “Nothing works.” “This is boring.” “I don’t know where to start.” “I can’t do this.” “This is too hard.” "I am not cut out for this." “I don’t have the time to do this.” “I don’t have th...

Procrastination is putting off things for another day or doing things that are not productive as an excuse for 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 quick relief from the anxiety associated with a task, which then reinforces this behavior. We all have procrastinated at one time or another. Still, 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 ...