It’s not surprising that procrastination can lead to considerable stress, exacerbated by feelings of guilt and failure. A recent study found that procrastinators were indeed less self-compassionate than others, and that those who showed least self-compassion experienced the most stress as a result of procrastination.
The author, Dr. Fuschia Sirois, suggests that this lack of self-compassion might not just be a consequence of procrastinating, but that it might set the stage for procrastination to become more chronic in nature. Namely, the self-blame could lead people to over-identify with procrastinating and to ruminate about the unattained goal, rather than to focus on a new goal.
Or, in other words, being more self-compassionate after we fail may help us get over it more quickly, move on, get a fresh start and get new things done.
Happy New Day!