Putting it off until tomorrow?

Yes, I am guilty of putting it off until tomorrow.  That is another word for the dreaded title of “procrastinator”.  Ugh.

I’ve never thought of myself as a procrastinator.  I think I have become one!  We have an appointment to get our taxes done and I waited until the last minute to get it organized and calculated. I had a couple of stacks of papers that I needed to go through and organize for our taxes.  Those stacks sat out staring at me for two weeks before I did something with them.  I cause myself more stress when I procrastinate.

I never used to procrastinate.  Actually, I took great satisfaction in the fact that I would anticipate things needing to be done and complete them on time or ahead of time.  I could enjoy the process of getting things done ahead of time AND take my time.  Where did that go??  I have misplaced that habit or mindset.  I’m on the search to get it back.

When I push it, all I do is make myself stressed and create anxiety.  I have this dark cloud of knowing that I need to get something done and not doing anything about it.  Then, when the deadline is screaming at me (hmmm, similar to the voice of head hunger), I’m even more stressed because I have to get it done regardless of how beautiful it is outside or any other things that can (and do) come up. 

The connection I’ve made is wonderful.  When I put off things (notice, I didn’t use the “p” word of procrastination), I cause myself stress and anxiety.  Anxiety is one of the big triggers for my head hunger.  Since I was a little girl, I’ve had anxiety and used food to calm the anxiety and take the edge off.  Now that I am aware of anxiety is a trigger for me, I am better able to deal with it in a healthy way.  While dealing with the taxes and the anxiety I felt, DING, DING, DING, the connection  was made.  When I do this (procrastinate), I get anxious.  So, fully aware, I am changing that habit of procrastinating to taking charge and being responsible for taking care of things in a timely manner.

So, I’m writing this to all of you that I am aware of this new propensity I have somehow picked up.  I know it is nothing more than a habit (bad habit!!).  Just like when we have surgery we need to ditch old habits that didn’t work for us and develop new, healthy habits.  While procrastination doesn’t exactly translate to eating and exercise, it does cause me some anxiety.  The task I need to complete is there, hanging over my head, draining some of my energy nagging at me to get it done.  When I feel drained or anxious, my head hunger tends to kick in.

I’m happy and excited that I discovered something about myself that I can change to improve myself.

Believe In Yourself,
Cathy, ACC-ICF, CLC
Certified Life Coach, Weight Loss Surgery Coach
Certified Back On Track Facilitator