To each of us happens to postpone A more or less heavy commitment, thinking about the momentary pleasure of taking an instant of hallway, such as staying “another five minutes” under the covers on cold winter mornings. However, there are subjects who systematically are used to postponing commitments and deadlines by falling into the trap of procrastination.
We define procrastination That behavior that pushes to intentionally postpone an action despite predictable negative consequences, opting for short -term well -being at the cost of long -term benefits.
Those who tend to procrastinate replace priority and important activities with pleasant activities or less relevant or urgent tasks; there procrastination It is therefore that small interval that between the moment in which we think of facing a task (intention) and the one in which we decide to give up (action).
What we know thanks to research, and that is often not so clear to procrastinators, is that this behavior is strongly associated with negative emotions such as fault, shame and fear of failure.
Postpone A commitment, such as writing this article or simply washing the dishes, temporarily causes a sort of relief and becomes a strategy of managing negative emotions related to the difficulty or unpleasantness of the affairs to be carried out, consequently reinforcing a behavior which, if put in place systematically, can have significant costs in the long term.
Those who procrastine therefore implement one form of avoidance who prevents him from getting in touch with his fears, his insecurities and his limits. This way of dealing with one’s internal world becomes a failure of emotional, motivational and behavioral self -regulation, so much so that it has been related to a behavioral method that seems almost opposite to the tendency to postpone as impulsiveness.
Research shows us how these two problems share the lack of a cognitive ability called the management of objectives (Goal Management), defined as the ability to actively maintain, and if necessary to recover, your objectives in the short term and long -term as a guide to your behavior.
Another feature of those who have the tendency to procrastinate It is the perfectionism that brings with it the belief of not being able to face a task if you cannot get to a high executive standard.
The feeling that accompanies those who procrastin for perfectionism is to never be ready or safe enough of their skills, knowledge or skills, ending up dedicating themselves to activities that do not involve the questioning of their personal value. These and others may be the characteristics underlying the mechanism of procrastination that cognitive-behavioral therapy can help us face with management tools and strategies.
As well as described in Book “sooner or later I do it” by Monica Ramirez Bascowe can begin to become aware of our self -impositions (duties), the self -critical Aspra or the tendency to feel guilty.
Cognitive-behavioral therapy encourages and facilitates the exploration of automatic thoughts, making them aware and proposing a revision according to the change.
It also favors a change of course in the avoidance mechanismsby reducing catastrophic thoughts and programming exposures that “train” our system to be in contact with emotional experiences considered unsustainable, thus creating a virtuous circle that breaks the recursive mechanism of advancement.
By exploring the events, beliefs and emotions that participate in the maintenance of procrastination we can also discover how often this is used in relationships as a weapon of passive resistance to requests to which we do not feel able to oppose.
Deepening these mechanisms can favor their awareness and the consequent programming of changes, the flexibility of all-nulla rigid mechanisms and the promotion of behavioral actions that fortify their confidence and in their resources.
