Procrastination- Is Depression Stopping you from Taking Action?

In this quick article I want to talk about two things - does depression cause procrastination or is it the other way round? I also want to look at how you can overcome procrastination in order to lessen your depression.

The link between procrastination and depression

I'm sure I don't have to tell you that the two are connected and a lack of action and can make you feel that your life is going nowhere. This feeling leads to a lack of hope and a general negative overview of life.

Depression is very different from feeling sad. And the difference is that feeling sad is just being unhappy whereas depression is a little bit more than that. Not only do you feel sad, you feel that you have no hope of making things better. Because you feel this way it is very difficult to take action and that's where procrastination can start.

Of course everybody suffers from procrastination. However, there is no doubt that depression makes it much worse and then when you realise that you are procrastinating and not taking action when you should you feel worse and your depression deteriorates.

My first question was: "Does depression cause procrastination or is it the other way around?" The answer to this is no. Depression does not cause procrastination; however, it makes it worse. If you are procrastinating a lot and not taking action in your life when you know you should this can lead to depression.

How to overcome procrastination

• sit down with a notepad and pen and try to work out why you are procrastinating. If you find this a little bit difficult just try to think about the advantages to you of not taking action. Also think about when you procrastinate.
• listen to some inspiring music that gets you motivated
• read some motivating quotes
• start using affirmations and read them regularly
• make a list of goals and break them into smaller steps
• keep a success journal and note down every day when you start to take action
• meet with a friend and discuss your plans
• close your eyes and start to visualise a better life and things that you want in it
• read about my e-book self esteem secrets - there's a whole chapter about procrastination in it
• exercise more. This will improve your mood and give you more energy
• listen to the words of someone who's really energetic and motivating. Even if you don't know anybody, you can find lots of motivating teachers and inspiring speakers on video and on the Internet
• Download this wonderful self hypnosis program - Overcoming Procrastination - problem solved!