How our body can help decode the clues about procrastination
The sun is shining, the sky is a blue-white spread and a yellow butterfly is flitting amongst the rosemary shrubs. It's the kind of day that makes you want to put off work and just enjoy being outside😃.
Will's story of procrastinating
Talking about putting things off, Will, one of my clients, recently told me, "I am so lazy. I keep procrastinating." Will is a director within his organization and is deeply committed to his work, even at the cost of personal health. So, this was a surprising statement.
This is what you might call a limiting belief - a thing you believe or a subconscious thought that is ultimately not true, and that limits your abilities.
"Why can't I just get to it? Why am I such a slacker?" Will continued, impatient and disappointed.
And I have heard such things from other high achieving clients during sessions too. Of course I could tell them that they didn't get where they are by being lazy and that their drive has brought them this far. But I bite my tongue and guide them into their body.
But my primary job as an embodiment coach is not to tell people things. Rather my job is to enable that people can connect to their bodies and listen to the wisdom and the truth they carry within. If the client and I both do our work right, the client will arrive where they need to, by themselves.
A felt truth is worlds more impactful than a heard truth or even a rationally known truth.
So during our session, Will leaned into his body and scanned his body to see where he felt this procrastination in his body. It first showed up as a heaviness in his head, and then the sensations moved across the body to his ankle and finally his throat. I facilitated it using prompts, questions and practices. He saw resentful thoughts come up and eventually a request - "some rest, please."
Being present in his body, Will found that he is procrastinating because he has not been sleeping well the past year, and he needs rest.
Other people have found other within themselves on why they are procrastinating on (certain tasks):
- Sia found that they are procrastinating on a specific task because they don't know how to do it and need to ask for help.
- Anya found that the tiny task she thinks she 'should' do but is unable to do is not really the best use of her time - she can delegate that task and instead spend time on a much more impactful task.
- Lee found that he is putting pressure on himself according to an arbitrary deadline, and he can actually take the time to finish his project at leisure.
There's isn't one universal reason why we procrastinate - and our bodies contain the clues to our behaviors, even the ones that may seem irrational - because we often have seemingly rational reasons for behaving irrationally.
Next time you find yourself procrastinating, instead of feeling guilty, give yourself grace and kindness. Listen to what this procrastination is trying to tell you.
Here's an exercise to try and become more aware of the relationship of your body with your procrastination.
An exercise for mind-body awareness
This exercise takes 2-5 minutes.
- Take 2-3 deep breaths through the stomach.
- Think of a thing/task you have been putting off.
- Now where in your body do you feel the unwillingness to do that task/thing.
- Notice the place where it shows up in the body (abdomen, throat, feet, fingers, earlobe, head, face.....) and,
- Notice the type of sensation it is (tingling, hot/cold, throbbing, heaviness, sweat, vibration....)
- You don't need to change or fix the sensation in any way, just observe it. If the sensation moves/changes, move your attention there. This can help liberate some stress and create clarity around what's going on.
- You may also notice some thoughts/images or knowing come up, feel free to note these and then go back to "feeling the sensations."
- Awareness is the first step to creating lasting change - if we can witness something compassionately without judgement, we can create immense and impactful changes both within ourselves and in the world.
Would you like to connect with your body and tap into its wisdom? Book a call here: https://calendly.com/beant-ux/discovery-call