In my years as a young adult therapist, I've treated countless young adults who struggle with procrastination. Procrastination is the action of delaying or postponing something.
In young adult counseling, it is not uncommon to work with young adults who struggle with procrastination in school. They wait until the very last minute to complete an important assignment.
Once they face reality, they panic and exhaust themselves trying to complete the assignment.
Over the years I've come to terms with a sober reality. For some people, procrastination may be a struggle that will pop up throughout their lifetime. Learning how to manage and/or overcome this challenge now can help.
I have known many very intelligent and successful individuals who were self-diagnosed procrastinators. These people have read all the books and have even gone to therapy for their struggle.
What they realized about themselves is that they they preferred to delay or postpone something. They may continue to procrastinate in school and at work. They would rather spend the bulk of their time on other activities and push at the end to complete their tasks just right before the deadline is up.
What they did change was their response to the anxiety or panic in the last few hours or days of the looming deadline.
Young Adult Counseling Can Help Young Adults Manage Procrastination & Anxiety
Some young adults may continue to prefer to delay and postpone important activities. If that is their decision, it important for them to learn strategies and skills to better cope with their anxiety.
In my counseling sessions with young adults, I have found 3 activities to be helpful. These are activities that can be used anywhere and anytime.
1. Deep Breathing
If you procrastinate, a young adult counselor can help you learn how to improve your breathing. Most people that procrastinate and then fall into anxiety, have poor breathing habit.
Under anxiety or panic, they tend to breathe in through the mouth and out through the mouth. This style of breathing can increase the sense of anxiety or panic.
Under stress and pressure, breathing in through the nose and out through the mouth is the ideal approach. Counting to four during the inhale and four during the exhale also helps to manage the stress.
2. Challenging Extreme Thoughts
Young adult counseling can help you identify and challenge your extreme thoughts after you've procrastinated. If you imagine that you will fail an assignment or upset a manager at work, it will be helpful to become aware of this worst case scenario thinking that goes on between your skull.
Anxiety builds on anxiety. If you're letting your brain run wild with negative outcomes, it's likely your anxiety will spike. Learning how to manage your thoughts and imaging less extreme situations will help you after you've procrastinated.
3. Values Assessment
Therapy helps young adults assess their values. Values are the things that are really important to a person.
Values are like preferences and desires but more substantial. I may want a cheeseburger. I value health. Sometimes I'll pass on the burger when I remember that there are healthier options that are better aligned with my value of living healthy.
Some young adults that procrastinate choose temporary preferences over more long-term values. If you choose to play a video game instead of studying for the math exam, you're forgetting that academic excellence is a big picture value for you.
The young adult that spends the extra time on the business presentation instead of hanging with friends, is choosing the value of career advancement.
Working with a young adult therapist can help you identify and clarify your values. After young adult counseling and working on your values, this may help take out the negative impacts of anxiety. Or you may come to realize the procrastination may be taking away from living a more value-laden life.
Katy Teen & Family Counseling: 50+ Years of Combined Experience in Young Adult Counseling Katy, Texas & Houston
At the Katy, Tx location of Katy Teen & Family Counseling, our young adult counselors can help young adults overcome anxiety, panic attacks, social anxiety, school anxiety, depression, ADHD/ADD and other emotional or behavioral struggles.
Life can be busy for a young adult. Starting young adult counseling can help you improve or overcome the challenges and obstacles that stand in your way of happiness and success.
If you are ready to start your healing journey with one of our teen therapists, you can follow these three simple steps:
Contact Katy Teen & Family Counseling
Meet with one of our experienced young adult counselors
Take that first step in your young adult therapy journey
Other Teen Therapy, Family Counseling, & Young Adult Therapy Services Offered at Katy Teen & Family Counseling
At our Katy, Tx location of Katy Teen & Family Counseling, we provide other counseling and therapeutic services such as Marriage counseling and couples therapy.
Often, when parenting a struggling teen, this can have a direct impact on the parents relationship. Our marriage counselors and couples therapists can help.
We also provide other counseling and therapeutic services for teens, young adults, & families at our Katy, Tx location:
Board Certified Neurofeedback
Peak performance (optimal academic brain performance)
Peak performance (optimal athletic brain performance)
Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR Therapy)
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)
About the Author
Quique Autrey is a Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC). Quique specializes in young adult counseling and helping young adults build upon their innate strengths while developing skills and tools to overcome depression, anxiety, social anxiety, panic attacks, ADHD, and more.
Quique views each individual through that lens and provides therapy for the family system which includes: teen therapy, young adult counseling, family counseling, marriage counseling & couples therapy.
Quique also has a passion for helping teens, young adults, and adults who may be on the Autism Spectrum. He has a talent for connecting with and helping people with Autism Spectrum Disorder.
If you're ready to start your healing journey in teen therapy, you can call us at 346-202-4662 or email us at info@katyteenandfamilycounseling.com.
Comments