Page 103 - End Procrastination Now Get it Done with a Proven Psychological Approach

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How to Handle Stress-Related

Procrastination

ou can’t avoid stress—it occurs in every facet of your life. Any
Ymajor change, such as the birth of a child, taking on new re-
sponsibilities, or retirement, can disrupt your equilibrium. Stress
is a general term that can be more specifically defined as being
frazzled, pressured, nervous, anxious, worried, strained, or tense.
Stress is a by-product of your perception of situations and of believ-
ing you are short on resources to emotionally cope with a situation.
The three-pronged cognitive, emotive, and behavioral approach
directly applies to addressing stress and to reducing your use of it
as a catalyst for procrastination.
What happens to your body when you feel stressed? Your brain
engages your autonomic nervous system (ANS), which involun-
tarily releases the stress hormones adrenaline and cortisol. When
the challenge passes, the body returns to balance (allostasis). How-
ever, with excessive stress, your hormones no longer protect the
body, but instead rip away at it. Persistent stress is costly to your
health. Stress elevates your blood sugar, eventually putting you at
risk for type 2 diabetes. When persistent stress routinely disrupts
your sleep, this limits your body’s ability to restore itself, compro-