Leaving the dishes for later, postponing the start of studies for an important test or leaving important activities for later are common habits of procrastinators. A new study, published this month in the journal JAMA Network Openshows how avoiding appointments can be a sign of health problems.
Researchers from Sweden conducted the study by tracking the lifestyles of 2,587 students from eight universities in Stockholm over the course of nine months. They aimed to clarify whether procrastination can cause mental and/or physical impacts.
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Using a procrastination scale, the scientists divided the participants into two groups for comparison: those most likely to put off tasks and those least likely to. At the end of the nine months, they completed a questionnaire where various health criteria were measured.
Higher levels of procrastination were associated with poorer mental health, with stronger symptoms of depression, anxiety and stress; as well as a higher incidence of disabling pain in the shoulders or arms – or both –, worse sleep quality, loneliness and financial difficulties.
“While no specific health outcome was strongly associated with procrastination, the results suggest that it may be important for a wide range of health outcomes, including mental health issues, disabling pain and an unhealthy lifestyle,” says one. by the study’s authors, Eva Skillgate, in an article published on the website The Conversation.
The scientist states that other factors not considered in the analysis may explain the associations between procrastination and health damage and recognizes the limitations of the study, such as the short period of time elapsed and the recurrence of the application of the questionnaires.
“By having students answer questionnaires at various times, we could be sure that high levels of procrastination were present before we measured their health,” says Eva.
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Anxiety is a kind of psychic condition characterized by constant and excessive worry that something negative might happen. According to researchers from the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro (UFRJ), it is also a diffuse feeling of discomfort carried by a frequent feeling of apprehension that can trigger disorders
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According to the World Health Organization (WHO), Brazil is the most anxious country in the world, and recorded even more cases of the condition during the Covid-19 pandemic. In addition to adults, anxiety can also manifest itself in children for different reasons, such as parental divorce, tests or problems at school, for example.
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Despite being considered relatively common, since it can affect anyone for any reason, anxiety becomes a real problem when everything becomes a reason for exaggerated concern and the patient starts to experience seizures.
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An anxiety crisis is a situation that causes a great feeling of anguish, nervousness and insecurity, as if something very bad, and completely out of control, were going to happen at any moment.
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The crisis usually arises due to specific stressful situations that generate triggers, such as having to make a presentation, having a short deadline to deliver a work, being somewhere you would not like or having suffered a loss, for example
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Among the symptoms of an anxiety crisis are: accelerated heartbeat, feeling short of breath, tingling in the body, feeling of lightness in the head, chest pain, nausea, excessive sweating, tremors, among others.
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These symptoms occur due to the increase in the adrenaline hormone in the bloodstream, something normal when the person faces an important moment. However, if the symptoms become constant, it could signal a generalized anxiety disorder.
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What to do during an anxiety attack depends on the severity and frequency of the symptoms and, therefore, the ideal is always to receive specialized advice from a psychiatrist or psychologist.
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Despite this, performing breathing exercises, ingesting calming tea, trying to talk to someone you trust, resting, turning your mind off, doing physical activities you enjoy or trying to keep your thoughts on something that gives comfort are some tips that can help alleviate the problem.
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When the anxiety crisis happens for the first time, or if you are not sure what is happening, it is important to go to the hospital to ensure that it is not another, more serious problem, such as a heart attack.
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In any case, if crises are frequent, a specialist should be sought to identify the cause and initiate treatment.
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Anxiety can trigger problems that, depending on the symptoms, can be classified as generalized anxiety disorder (GAD), social phobia, panic syndrome, among others. These problems can have an impact on the patient’s personal and professional life, so the sooner it is diagnosed, the less problems will be faced.
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Treatment
Studies with clinical trials have already shown that therapy with cognitive-behavioral bias helps people to avoid procrastination. Strategies such as dividing long-term goals into short-term goals; stay focused on one activity at a time; and managing the distractions that the world offers, such as cell phone use, can be very useful in this process.
“It takes some effort, it’s not something one person can do while trying to meet a specific deadline. But even small changes can have a big effect. Why not start today by leaving your cell phone in another room when you need to focus on a task?”, suggests the teacher.
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