Distress Intolerance
The lie you tell yourself.
I can’t stand it, is a common refrain among my students. What can’t they stand? The feeling of anxiety evoked whenever they think about the task or project they are avoiding. What’s their solution to this feeling? Avoidance. This is why distress intolerance is a key to procrastination (and why this module is mandatory).
The belief of distress intolerance tells you that the feelings are overwhelming, that you cannot handle them, that they are so bad that they might drive you mad. But, it’s a lie you’re telling yourself. You can handle those feelings, as unpleasant as they are, it’s not the feelings that’s the problem, it’s the avoidance of them. In face, avoidance is what has made them so intense. Paradoxically, when you avoid the cause of your anxiety you train your brain to amp up the intensity of those emotions.
To break this cycle, and lower the distress, you need to learn ways to be okay with discomfort. To build more distress tolerance. To rewrite the belief that you can’t make it through the feelings. And, most importantly, that you can be productive even when you experience this discomfort. The only way out is through and this module will teach you how.
Recorded length: 40 minutes
Resources
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Related
➼ Eckert, M., Ebert, D. D., Lehr, D., Sieland, B., & Berking, M. (2016). Overcome procrastination: Enhancing emotion regulation skills reduce procrastination. Learning and Individual Differences, 52, 10-18.
Related
➼Ghasemi Jobaneh, Mousavi, Zanipoor, & Hoseini Seddigh, (2016). The relationship between mindfulness and emotion regulation with academic procrastination of Students. Education Strategies in Medical Sciences, 9(2), 134-141.
This course is part of the Productivity Prowess Series. See also: Top-Notch Time Management and level up your productivity skills today!
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