Procrastination, Shame, and the Brain's Reward System

In this episode I interview executive functioning and nervous system regulation coach Sasa Harper. I’ve known Sasa for a while, and she’s what would be called a peer support specialist in my world, meaning she is someone who has struggled with executive functioning and nervous regulation, is now in a place where she is doing well in these areas, and teaches other people how she got there. While Sasa tends to focus more on neurodivergence like ADHD and autism spectrum disorder, nervous system dysregulation and problems with executive functioning are also common components of mood and anxiety disorders so our work has a lot of overlap. Today we discuss how procrastination often results from unmet needs or excess stress rather than laziness or lack of motivation, as is commonly believed, and how challenging your inner critic, practicing relaxation techniques, and rewarding yourself appropriately are MUCH more beneficial tools for challenging procrastination and increasing productivity than putting more pressure on yourself.