Part I
PSYCHOLOGICAL WELLNESS
Wellness is not health. Health is a STATE of physical, mental and social well-being according to the World Health Organization but, generally speaking, people will say they are healthy when they are not sick or infirm in some way. Health is measured by indicators like blood pressure, cholesterol levels, weight and other medical numbers obtained through blood testing and other medical pr0cedures.
Wellness, on the other hand, is a dynamic PROCESS of becoming aware of and making choices to adopt a lifestyle that leads to better health. Another way to think about it as a ten-point scale. At 1, on the left, is very serious illness, 3 might be chronic but non-life-threatening illness, 4-5 might be minor and temporary illness or the normal aches and pains of growing older. Somewhere around 5-6, we declare ourselves to be healthy. Wellness is becoming aware that there is a long way from where we are at 5-6 to optimal levels of health at 10. Wellness is the process of engaging in the actions and choices to move us from left to right on that scale.
To date, In the Zone has focused on physical wellness with articles dedicated to developing and supporting new activities, diet and nutrition, exercise, social connection, and restoration (sleep) among others. With our next issue, we begin a series focusing on psychological wellness.
Keeping in mind the above differences between health and wellness, psychological wellness is not the same as mental health. Mental health calls up images of mental illness on the left side of our 10-point scale above while our focus for this series will be on the right side of the scale. We will be using psychological wellness to refer to becoming more aware of and aligning the inner experiences that make up an individual’s psychological existence: thoughts, self-talk, emotions, motivation, sensation, perception, reasoning, memory, problem-solving, creativity, imagination, dreaming, awareness, self-awareness and more. All these things are part of the normal psychological functioning that occurs every day in coping with life. Most of these things are so common that we are often barely aware that they are occurring. Psychological wellness entails becoming increasingly aware of our own inner life to bring it in line with our own goals and purposes.
For example, how often have you thought that you needed to make a change in your life and find that you just never take the steps to make it happen. In part II below, the issue of psychological inertia and procrastination is discussed. Read below what it is, what causes it and the steps one might take to keep yourself moving forward.
Part II
Psychological Inertia and Procrastination
Psychological inertia refers to the tendency of individuals to stick to established patterns of thinking and behaving, even when those patterns are no longer effective or appropriate. It is the mental resistance to change, often resulting from comfort with the familiar, fear of the unknown, or cognitive biases. While psychological inertia is resistance to a change in thinking, procrastination is resistance to a change in doing. Often the two are intimately related in that a change in the way you think about something can result in less resistance to taking action. For example, some people may be reluctant to giving a speech at an event because they think it must be perfect. Perfectionism may be a personal expectation, a way of thinking about oneself, that results in the person delaying or putting off writing or thinking about those few paragraphs necessary for the speech. A change in thinking can lead to a change in action.
Some of the factors that can lead to psychological inertia:
a. cognitive biases like the tendency to interpret or remember only information that confirms your existing way of seeing things.
b. habitual thinking: accepting the most well-rehearsed idea and making no effort to think “outside the box”.
c. comfort with the status quo: being comfortable with how you currently think, but perhaps also concealing anxiety about a new way of thinking.
d. fear of the unknown
Some of the factors that can lead to procrastination are:
a. fear of failure or embarrassment
b. perfectionism
c. aversion to the task
d. anger or rebelliousness
e. feeling overwhelmed
Here are some clues as to whether a person is experiencing psychological inertia:
a. finding it difficult to adopt new approaches or ideas even when they might be beneficial
b. struggling to see new solutions to problems and repeating old, ineffective solutions
c. others ascribing “rigidity”, “inflexibility”, or “stubbornness” to a one’s thinking or behavior
d. resistance to even minor change
Here are some clues as to whether a person is experiencing procrastination:
a. putting off tasks until the last minute
b. spending time on less important tasks to avoid more critical tasks
c. making excuses and rationalizing why tasks are not completed
d. frequently experiencing guilt, shame, embarrassment and/or anxiety about unfinished tasks
There are some very specific steps that can be taken to overcome psychological inertia:
1. First and foremost is to do some introspection. Identify when you are feeling stuck in your thinking or resistant to new ideas. Try to identify what you would feel like if you stopped thinking the old way and tried a new idea. How do you imagine things might change for you? Are there other ideas that are important to you that would have to change too? Identify if you would feel angry, sad, anxious or delighted with the change? Why? Write it all down. As you write, you may become more aware of additional thoughts and feelings.
2. Deliberately alter your daily routine or approach to tasks. This can help break habitual thinking patterns and encourage new ways of thinking. For example, take a different route on your morning walk, listen to different music, or vary your chore schedule.
3. Engage with people who have different viewpoints or expertise. Discussing your challenges with them can provide fresh insights and ideas.
4. Engage in lateral thinking exercises whose aim is to explore alternative solutions of ideas that are not immediately obvious. For example, take an idea and reverse it. For example, if you are looking for an idea on how to make something better, think about how you can make it worse. Or ask an unusual or provocative question like: how might a child solve this problem or how might a Martian see this problem.
5. Build your tolerance of change by introducing small changes incrementally to make the process less daunting and easier to manage. Imagine positive outcomes of embracing change. Visualization can reduce anxiety and create a sense of preparedness.
Overcoming procrastination involves addressing both the underlying causes and adopting practical strategies to improve your productivity and time management. Here are some specific steps that can be taken to overcome procrastination:
a. As always, begin with introspection and self-reflection. Identify why you're procrastinating. Is it due to fear of failure, lack of motivation, perfectionism, or feeling overwhelmed?
b. Break down larger tasks into smaller, manageable goals. This makes it easier to begin a task.
c. Give yourself specific deadlines for each task or sub-task.
d. Categorize tasks into four quadrants: urgent and important, important but not urgent, urgent but not important, and neither urgent nor important. Focus on tasks that are both urgent and important.
e. Recognize what typically distracts you (e.g., social media, noise) and take steps to minimize these distractions. Work in a quiet, clutter-free space.
f. Work for 25 minutes, then take a 5-minute break. After four cycles, take a longer break.
g. Establish daily routines that include regular times for work, breaks, and relaxation. Consistency can reduce the likelihood of procrastination.
h. Aim for "good enough" rather than perfect. Understand that perfectionism can lead to paralysis by analysis. Celebrate small achievements and progress rather than waiting for the perfect outcome.
i. Share your goals with a friend or colleague who can help keep you accountable. Schedule regular check-ins to review your progress and adjust plans as needed.
Implementing these strategies can help you build better habits, improve your productivity, and reduce psychological inertia and procrastination.
Addendum: The newsletter staff have selected this topic as the first in the Psychological Wellness Series in order to get our readers and the Editor up off their respective butts and taking the steps necessary to get themselves In The Zone.
MENTAL AGILITY IS IMPROVED BY VARYING ACTIVITIES
SWITCH UP YOUR ROUTINE WITH
DIFFERENT TYPES OF MENTAL EXERCISE
