I don't know about you, but I have been hearing more and more that people are feeling overwhelmed. School strikes, bank holidays, all of these things impact our working hours resulting in a general feeling of scarcity and overwhelm resulting in chronic procrastination. How can we fit it all in? One of the most frustrating things about feeling overwhelmed is that we end up feeling like a deer in headlights, freezing and doing nothing. This obviously only exacerbates the issue.
This happens because our survival instinct is kicking in, putting us into a state of protection. When this happens our prefrontal cortex isn’t working effectively because our neural activity is focused elsewhere on survival - this stops us from being rational, prevents us from being able to think, reason and prioritise what needs to be done first. Some people experience feeling zoned out, others feel like they are lost in their thoughts, like their head is full of noise and panic.
How therapy can help you tackle procrastination.
Cognitive Hypnotherapy and Coaching can help you tackle this by helping you identify the unconscious reason behind the feeling. Therapy can help cut through the noise and help you get to the root of the anxiety or overwhelm. By identifying it you can process it and shift it so that you can feel more in control. In my East London clinic I can also teach you effective techniques to get your prefrontal cortex back online and manage your thoughts and emotions. Therapy helps you to quickly identify why you are stressed and what you need to do to effectively navigate this period in your life.
Quick and easy technique to implement in your day to day
However there are quick techniques to help you get the power back. One such techniques is discussed by Dr Chattergee in his podcast with Mel Roberts.
Roberts highlights how simply saying 5-4-3-2-1 in your head, then taking action i.e. do the thing that needs to be done; getting out of bed, answering a question, sending an email can help break the cycle. Roberts explains how the very simple act of counting backwards interrupts the habit loops in the basal ganglia and draws your attention to the prefrontal cortex (thinking brain) “allowing you to interrupt any (negative) behavior and/or thinking patterns to give you a window of objectivity so that you can choose how you want to respond.” That this tool helps “cut through noise/fear/anxiety to give you a moment of clarity.”
I have tried it this week and it has helped me cut through my procrastination and do the things that I have put off for a while. Give it a go, it might not fix all your issues but it might give you the push you need to start the day in the right way.
If chronic procrastination and overwhelm is something that you are struggling with and you are looking to make some changes please get in touch and book in a discovery call.