Procrastination = Stress = Flare
Unfortunately, in all aspects of life, I am a procrastinator. While being a procrastinator, I am terrified of failure. So, let’s call me an anxious procrastinator.
I leave things to the last minute. But while I’m sitting there not doing the things I should be, instead of relaxing, I am stressing about how it all needs to be done. You would think that this should motivate me to do it right away...it doesn’t.
So, I get stressed
We all know that stress is one of the worst things for AS. For me, stress causes a flare. My spasms get angry, my body aches more than usual and my back becomes excruciatingly sore. Oh, and I get so, so stiff! And of course, fatigue follows.
The pain and stiffness get me thinking about movement. But I think to myself, I'll do that later. So, I even procrastinate about the things caused by my procrastination.
For me and my illness, procrastination is one of the worst things I can do. I’ve been living with AS for nearly two years, you’d think I would have learned by now. But no, I continue to procrastinate.
I’m in my final year of my degree in Social Care Work. It is much harder than I expected. I have many modules with millions of assignments due, along with my dissertation. I’m missing some online classes due to pain and fatigue and even the classes I attend I feel like I could be doing better.
Do I start the hard work straight away?
No, I don’t, instead I make it harder for myself.
Today is Wednesday; I have a 3,000 word law assignment due on Friday at midnight. Today, because I procrastinated so much, I sat at my desk, listened to 4 hours of recorded lectures and wrote close to 15 pages of notes. Ouch, my neck. Ouch, my shoulder and ouch my back! My hand is like a claw.
After watching these lectures, I then started my assignment. At this point I couldn’t sit at my desk any longer. So, I typed my assignment in bed. I now have two parts of my assignment done. I’ve been working on it for about 8 hours, and I’ve written 2,000 words. Law is the subject I find the hardest as it is all fact, and I am not able to waffle my way through it.
My back is in absolute agony!
Along with my neck. I want to have a bath but it's 2am. My brain is wide awake from all the college work. So, instead of trying to sleep I decided to write an article about how procrastination is not a good idea. With hope that I listen to myself and stop procrastinating.
Procrastinating effects all aspects of my life, not just my college work. It affects my relationship with movement and exercise, with making healthy meals. Filling out medical forms and making doctors' appointments. These are just some examples.
My point is that procrastinating equals stress. And for us with AS, we need to limit the stress in our lives as much as possible.
Do you procrastinate? And does it cause you to stress and flare? This is definitely something that I need to work on. I need to make my life as easy as possible and do things that future me will be thankful of.
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