Can Procrastination Affect Your Health?

The high levels of stress we are under create some of the greatest negative affects to our health. One of the key causes of this stress is procrastination. You may just feel like you have too much to do and that might be the case. However, keep a close eye on your activities for a week or so and see if perhaps what is really causing your overloaded plate is procrastination.

Extra stress caused by procrastination can lead to many health issues. In one study, college students who procrastinated showed lowered immune system functioning, increased gastrointestinal problems and a higher rate of insomnia. The younger generation, in fact, includes the highest percentage of procrastinators. A full 75% of collect students surveyed considered themselves to be procrastinators.

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Everyone needs a break every once in awhile, but there is a fine line between procrastination and break time. In fact, procrastinators generally do not take formal breaks as they are constantly finding other ways to amuse themselves. This lack of separation between work and non-work time serves to increase stress even further - and the health affects that come with it.

As with the college students mentioned above, perhaps one of the biggest health problems caused by procrastination is the weakening of the immune system. This happens due to high stress levels placing strain on the body and also anxiety that can lead to insomnia, poor eating habits and a myriad of other unhealthy actions.

The real nail in the coffin is that procrastination causes problems to grow exponentially. You don't feel well, but instead of going to the doctor you put it off. So then you feel even worse. Again, instead of seeking medical help you put it off because you have too much to do. However, because you don't feel well, you really aren't getting much quality work done. This creates an even bigger backlog of work and the cycle continues indefinitely.

The upshot here is that procrastination can have serious negative affects on your health. It has been shown that getting a procrastinator to stop procrastinating is actually more difficult that getting an alcoholic to stop drinking alcohol. If you feel that you are stuck in the procrastination pattern and you are unable to pull yourself out of it, contact an ADD Coach or therapist. Ultimately, this choice could save your life.

Can Procrastination Affect Your Health?