The procrastinator's dilemma

Recently, I had the opportunity to participate in a group coaching program about stress. It was a four-week program where we learned about stress, what it does to the body, and how to manage it better.


In one of our sessions, the coach asked what our biggest source of stress was, and immediately, I thought about school. I’m in grad school getting a master’s degree in Integrative Health, and it has been a journey. I’ve finished 4/5 trimesters and have taken a variety of classes — some that I’ve loved and some I just had to get through.

In one of our group sessions, the coach asked us what we could do to manage our stress, and I immediately thought about the end of my grad program — I have one trimester left, and being able to see the light at the end of the tunnel is a relief. I thought, “I’ll just wait it out. When I graduate, I won’t be stressed anymore!”

Yeah right. I’m one of those people who always finds something to stress out about…anyone else?

In this reflection, I realized that the source of my stress is rarely, if ever, external. (I say this recognizing my privilege that all my basic needs are met and I am safe. Not everyone has the same experience). Nothing outside of me causes me stress — my job, school, my relationships, money…. I make it all up in my mind.

What has caused me so much stress around my schoolwork has been procrastination and the pressure I put on myself to be perfect. When I put pressure on myself to do something perfectly, I put it off, usually because I’m afraid to fail. The longer I put it off, the more I build up the task in my mind to be insurmountable, time-consuming, massive, overwhelming. And then I stress as the deadline approaches and I have a behemoth of a task to complete.

And this doesn’t just happen with my school work. I also do this my coaching business. And in reaching out to friends and making plans. And taking care of adulting things.

But when I finally get to the task, 9 times out of 10, it’s not that bad.

I think one of the most powerful ways for me to overcome this destructive cycle of procrastination and stress has been a consistent mindfulness practice. Meditating 10–15 minutes per day helps me be aware of the thoughts that lead to procrastination, which helps me move through them into action.

Other ways I’ve been able to manage stress are spending time outdoors (nature is sooo healing for me!), moving my body, and getting enough quality sleep every night.

​So, what causes you the most stress in your life? And what can you do to manage it better so you can experience a little more Easeful Living?