Procrastination is part of many people’s daily lives and represents one of the main sources of stress and burden for them. This concept is understood as the tendency to postpone pending tasks until the last minute and replace them with others that are more rewarding. Therefore, although momentary satisfaction is obtained, the subsequent consequences are negative. However, for these people it is not as simple as simply deciding to stop procrastinating, since it is not a simple lack of motivation and laziness, as one tends to think. It’s something physiological.
Dr. Britt Frank explains that procrastination is not just a mental process, but is first and foremost a physiological process. The specialist describes it as the brain’s reaction to what she considers a threat, whether real or imaginary. When the brain feels exhaustion or stress, even insecurity, its response will often be to flee. After all, it is a physiological survival reaction. Once this is clarified, it will be easier for people who procrastinate to understand the reasons behind it. But to know how to overcome it, you still have to know the two types of procrastination that exist.
There are two types of procrastination, according to Dr. Britt Frank. These are parasympathetic nervous system procrastination (PNSP) and sympathetic nervous system procrastination (SNSP). And it is important to know what the characteristics of each one are.
In the case of PNSP, the expert defines the parasympathetic nervous system as the one in charge of pressing the brake pedal of the body when it needs to slow down. If you perceive danger, you may feel exhausted or have muscle fatigue, with feelings of heaviness or difficulty making decisions. This is what is known as a freezing response. How to combat it? Britt Frank advises engaging in positive regulation techniques, such as moving your eyes slowly around the room or stretching.
The second type, that of the sympathetic nervous system, SNSP, is very different. Unlike the parasympathetic nervous system, the sympathetic nervous system represents the body’s accelerator. It is important to feel full of energy and active. When he perceives a threat, the response is productive procrastination. That is, doing all types of tasks except for those that are truly important and need to be prioritized. The result is not being able to relax and experiencing feelings of irritability, stress and restlessness. The way to deal with it, according to the specialist, has to do with negative regulation techniques, as she calls them. These consist of performing actions such as jumping, pushing, pulling or lying on the ground.
