We’ve all been there. Our to-do list written out in front of us, a full day ahead with nothing but time to take care of everything we said we’d do “when we have the time”. Today…is that day…right?
Until you glance at your phone and a single notification turns into 20 minutes of scrolling. While already on the phone, why not check your inbox? Social media, news alerts, emails, texts from friends. The list of distractions goes on and on until suddenly, the motivation you held earlier seems nonexistent and you’re left wondering where the day went and why that to-do list remains largely untouched.
It's a frustrating cycle and besides the everyday distractions that can lead to putting off tasks, there are often larger factors at play when it comes to procrastination and not meeting our goals. Fortunately, there are ways to reclaim your focus and help boost productivity. Specifically, we want to talk about how somatic exercises for procrastination can help you regain control of your time.
What is Procrastination?
Procrastination is the act of postponing or delaying a task that needs to be completed. While some tasks may seem trivial (think cleaning out the garage, organizing your workspace), we often find ourselves putting off the more important tasks and decisions that affect our overall quality of life and well-being.
This is where we can begin to explore the underlying psychological and physiological roots of procrastination.
Why do we procrastinate?
The reasons behind procrastination are as diverse as the tasks we put off. Here are some common factors:
Lack of Motivation — The brain operates from a system of pleasure and rewards, driven by neurotransmitters like dopamine. When it associates a task with rewarding outcomes, the brain releases dopamine, motivating us to pursue them; however, procrastination often occurs when tasks lack a clear reward and our dopamine response diminishes.
Fear of Failure — The fear of not meeting our own or others' expectations can be paralyzing. It’s an all too common response to procrastinate due to fear of falling short and what those repercussions may be.
Perfectionism — Striving for perfection can be a double-edged sword. While it can drive us to work hard and demonstrates that we care about presentation, we may hesitate to start something until we feel ‘ready’ or that we can perform perfectly.
Overwhelm — When tasks or projects seem too large or complex, we may procrastinate due to a sense of overwhelm. Learning how to down-regulate your nervous system and breaking down the task into smaller, more manageable steps can help to mitigate this feeling.
Distractions — There are a number of distractions that can impede our productivity each day. With smartphones constantly in hand, the social media and gaming apps ready to provide those short term dopamine hits…having an endless database of information at our fingertips each day can easily sway us into putting off tasks.
Getting to the root cause of why you are procrastinating is key to overcoming it. Using tools such as somatic exercises can help you understand more clearly what is causing you to procrastinate and also prime your nervous system for better focus and performance.
Procrastination and The Nervous System Shutdown Response
At the heart of procrastination is the nervous system shutdown response, which is linked to a prolonged fight-or-flight stress response and overwhelm. Far too often, the demands of everyday life can take energy away from what truly lights us up and the activities that are most beneficial to our mental and physical well-being.
Building resistance to this shutdown response is another crucial step for beating procrastination.
Recognizing the Nervous System Shutdown Response
When in a state of shutdown, also known as the Dorsal Vagal State, we tend to feel fatigued, sluggish, detached from our body, or even numb to feelings and emotions. We often experience brain fog, changes in appetite, and feelings of helplessness or hopelessness.
It’s fairly obvious when in the dorsal vagal state, we are generally unmotivated or uninspired to take action — even if it’s something we know, intellectually, can help improve our quality of life. The dilemma becomes how to get our body and mind to work together to find balance and resolution (cue somatic exercises for procrastination).
The Role of Somatic Exercises for Procrastination
Somatic exercises focus on the mind-body connection and allow us to tap into our body's wisdom for navigating stress. Through breathwork exercises we can create a sense of calm and control within our body and mindfulness techniques help us locate the source of stress and the response to procrastinate.
When the nervous system is in a shutdown or freeze response, we must find ways to up-regulate our nervous system. Think of upregulation as pressing on the ‘gas pedal’ to accelerate nerve cell activity and enhance communication between the body and brain.
Somatic Exercises to Up-Regulate Your Nervous System
Body-Tapping — Use your fist to tap firmly along your body from head to toe.
Tree Shaking — Lift your arms above your head and shake them rhythmically while focusing on the sensation of release within your body.
The Butterfly — While standing up, inhale while arching the back and folding the arms in front of you. Exhale with an audible sigh while coming up, expanding the arms, pushing the chest forward, and leaning the head back.
These three exercises found in the NEUROFIT App build resistance to the dorsal vagal shutdown response by channeling the mobilized energy of the sympathetic nervous system into a more beneficial state of Play.
Building Resistance to the Nervous System Shutdown Response
Using somatic exercises to overcome procrastination is a major step in nervous system regulation and stress management. It is also vital to adopt the right habits and routines that will build resistance shutdown response. Some areas for review include:
Diet — Are you feeding your body the key nutrients it needs (think Omega-3, B12) and staying away from anti-inflammatory foods like sugar and refined carbohydrates?
Sleep-Wake Cycle — Do you routinely get to bed on time, seek early morning sun exposure?
Social Connection — Are you spending time with people who help you feel supported, loved, and secure?
Environment — Is your living environment set up to help you feel relaxed and at peace? Does your work environment promote productivity?
These are all factors that can play a role in our ability to focus and complete tasks.
Overcome Procrastination With The NEUROFIT App
The NEUROFIT App is designed to help you reduce stress and optimize performance through nervous system regulation. Find accountability through daily check-ins of key habits and life aspects and learn to work with your unique nervous system energy type with a daily Balance Score and recommended balance exercises.
Get to the root cause of your procrastination with our AI CLEAR Coach that you can return to any time you feel yourself shifting into a sympathetic or shutdown nervous system response. CLEAR guides you through the life aspect you feel most challenged with and leaves you with the clarity and balance you need within a matter of minutes.
Conclusion
There are a number of factors that contribute to procrastination and somatic exercises provide one of the quickest and most effective ways to overcoming it. Most often we find ourselves procrastinating when in the Dorsal Vagal State (or shutdown response) and can build resistance by prioritizing nervous system regulation tools and adopting the right habits and lifestyle.
To begin optimizing your nervous system today, download the NEUROFIT App.
