947: Procrastination and Anxiety in Older Adults Listener Q and A
The Anxiety Coaches Podcast
Gina Ryan
4.6 • 1.9K Ratings
🗓️ 30 July 2023
⏱️ 25 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
In today's episode, Gina responds to a listener question regarding anxiety, aging and procrastination. This listener in particular seems to struggle with procrastination in retirement and this exacerbates her anxiety. Watching what we eat and drink and taking extra care around our sleep hygine is recommended. Putting the journal to use is also suggested. Listen in for more information on the topic of anxiety and aging!
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Quote:
Much of the stress that people feel doesn’t come from having too much to do. It comes from not finishing what they started.
–David Allen
Chapters0:00:24 Introduction and Listener Question on Procrastination in Older Adults
0:02:01 Procrastination not considered a mental health condition, but linked to other challenges
0:03:19 Interconnectedness of Procrastination and Mental Health
0:13:59 Identifying Distractions and Making Changes
0:14:58 Adjusting Mood and Energy Levels for Productivity
0:16:12 Evaluating Tasks and Redefining Priorities
SummaryIn this episode of the Anxiety Coaches Podcast, we explore the topic of procrastination and its connection to anxiety, with a specific focus on older adults. A concerned listener reached out to us about their struggles with procrastination, insomnia, and burnout during retirement. While procrastination itself is not a mental health condition, research has found links between procrastination and depression, anxiety, and low self-esteem. Chronic procrastination can lead to increased stress, impaired concentration and memory, mood disorders, lower self-esteem, and avoidance coping. It can also strain relationships and create a cycle of stress and anxiety. To address procrastination, we need to develop better time management and organizational skills.
One area we can focus on is addressing sleep issues that may arise after retirement. When individuals retire, significant changes occur in their routines and activities. While some may find relief from the lack of structure and stress, others struggle with filling their day and fail to get enough quality sleep. Establishing a consistent sleep schedule, going to bed and waking up at the same time every day, becomes important, even without the obligations of work. We must also consider why it is challenging to follow a schedule when external deadlines or pressures no longer exist. Managing our own time can be a skill that needs to be learned. As the host of this podcast, staying on schedule is crucial for maintaining momentum.
Procrastination among older adults is often connected to emotional factors such as regret, stress, distress, depression, anxiety, fatigue, and reduced life satisfaction. Journaling can be a helpful tool in identifying and addressing these underlying issues. The retirement environment is also different from the working environment, so creating a suitable environment for our retired life and setting boundaries to manage distractions properly become important. When procrastination occurs, it is essential to pay attention to any mood or energy crashes and consider adjusting meal times and foods to mitigate these crashes. Factors such as caffeine intake, sugar consumption, and inadequate nutrition can contribute to fluctuations in energy levels.
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Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | Welcome to the Anxiety Coaches Podcast, a relaxing and informative show where we explore |
| 0:12.9 | anxiety, panic, and PTSD, sharing how you can overcome them for life. |
| 0:18.0 | Hello, how welcome back to the Anxiety Coaches Podcast. |
| 0:27.7 | I'm your host and coach Gina Ryan, and I am so happy to be with you again today as |
| 0:34.6 | together we can consider the many ways to bring your mind and body back to its natural |
| 0:41.5 | peace and calm. |
| 0:43.7 | In today's episode, I'm talking about procrastination and anxiety, and specifically in older adults |
| 0:51.4 | because this is a listener question that I'm happy to be able to answer. |
| 0:56.7 | So our listener wrote in and here are a few details that's a 70-year-old who is wondering |
| 1:02.6 | about procrastination and is it a mental illness? |
| 1:06.9 | She was very busy all of her life and now seems like she can't get things done. |
| 1:13.2 | She's also dealing with some insomnia and can't seem to follow her schedule. |
| 1:20.0 | She also wanted to know if I could give some deeper information on elders and being burnt |
| 1:27.1 | out and not enjoying retirement. |
| 1:30.4 | Well, there's a lot in there, isn't there? |
| 1:34.2 | Anxiety and procrastination, retirement in and of itself, is a huge subject and I'm |
| 1:40.4 | happy to make note and even go into that more in the future, we'll touch on it today. |
| 1:46.6 | But yes, let's get into it and start with some ideas around anxiety and procrastination |
| 1:56.1 | and is there a mental disorder for procrastination? |
| 2:00.9 | Now so I looked into this deeper because the DSM-5, I do not have all those endless |
| 2:08.0 | lists of diagnoses in my memory, please, there's way too many, everything now seems to be |
| 2:14.8 | a disorder anyway, although as I looked, what I could find was that procrastination |
... |
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