You may have heard of a little part of the brain called the Amygdala. It’s responsible for recognizing and responding to threat. Our thoughts tell our Amygdala’s when to activate, and we are instantly flooded with adrenaline and cortisol. These hormones are designed to make us react quickly, and prepare of body to stay alive. Based on the nature of the threat, (perceived or real), the amygdala chooses a behavioral response. Our behavioral responses fit into three categories; fight, flight, or freeze.
What we think tells our brain when we are unsafe. The challenge is, our amygdala is unable to distinguish between a true threat, and a perceived threat. Even our subconscious thoughts will trigger our amygdala into action, creating unpleasant physiological cues, emotions, and fight, flight, or freeze responses.
If we are thinking worried (unsafe) thoughts about a particular task, or activity, our amygdala is going to listen. Thoughts like “it’s going to take forever”, “it’s such a drag”, “everyone else is better at this”, and “I don’t want to do it” will communicate to the amygdala that we aren’t safe. The amygdala will kick into gear and determine if a fight, flight, or freeze response will keep us safest.
The flight response is when our brain avoids what we think is unsafe, and we freeze when we can’t begin the first step of our task. Procrastination isn’t necessarily an unwillingness to do something. It can be understood as the brain’s way of avoiding, or freezing when we have thoughts based on worry or fear.