Time… it’s a scarce resource.
When you factor in full-time work, hobbies, exercise and socialising, it can feel impossible to find the time to do anything — especially the boring stuff.
The thought of doing life admin, like folding the washing, returning your parcels, booking a GP appointment or – God forbid – cleaning the oven, on top of everything else is exhausting enough.
And that’s before we mention the endless other thoughts we have floating around our brains on a daily basis.
This can leave us in a state of paralysis; always thinking about doing things but never actually getting them done.
Enter: errand paralysis.
What is errand paralysis?
The term was coined by writer Anne Helen Peterson and refers to the condition of being unable to do mundane tasks that do not relate to work or other forms of concrete self-optimisation.
In our world, which is defined by technology and having endless streams of information projected onto us wherever we look, it’s easy to become overwhelmed and stressed.
This overwhelm, explains Chris Finn, a life coach and former psychologist, will result in one of three programmed responses: fight, flight or freeze.
‘Some of us will flight, and avoid doing these things, procrastinating until the pressure builds up,’ he tells Metro.co.uk
‘Others will fight, and push to get everything done.
‘And some will freeze, and not be able to concentrate or feel paralysed, hence errand paralysis.’
Why does errand paralysis occur?
While these stress responses made sense when we were hunter gatherers, they’re less useful in modern life. But they’re still very much present.
This is compounded by our constant state of being switched on. With too much information stored in our brains, we’re constantly searching for answers for things that don’t immediately impact us.
‘Errand paralysis is due to the fact we are living in an overwhelm of information and uncertainty,’ Katherine Templar Lewis, lead scientist Uncertainty Experts, tells us.
‘Our brains are constantly trying to make decisions and our stress response is often stuck on over alert.
‘Errand paralysis is when a micro uncertainty occurs which our brain, already overloaded by bigger uncertainties, wants to avoid.
‘So it tries to activate avoidant behaviours. Suddenly we might pick up our phone, get distracted by something totally different.’
While millennials and gen Z are particularly prone to errand paralysis, thanks to the fact we grew up in a digital world, it can affect anyone and everyone.
How to combat errand paralysis
If you can relate to having errand paralysis, don’t worry – you’re far from being alone.
While it can feel like an existential problem, there are some things you can do to tackle errand paralysis as well as your endless list of things to do.
Write a list
It’s a good idea to write a list of the things you need to do, perhaps even ordering them in terms of importance.
While it may feel overwhelming to see all the things you need to do, getting them out of your head will allow you to see the situation clearly.
Then, Chris recommends separating what needs to be done and when ‘so that you have clarity about where to focus your attention.’
Start with one small task
Next, start small.
‘Do the smallest, easiest, quickest thing,’ says Chris.
‘This will produce dopamine and reduce cortisol and adrenaline to motivate you to do even more.’
Acknowledge the stress response
According to Chris, there’s a huge amount of research that shows that simply labelling your emotion reduces the intensity of them — so don’t be afraid to acknowledge how you’re feeling.
‘Recognising that you are feeling stressed and overwhelmed might seem obvious,’ he says, ‘but stress and burnout is so common in society that we often don’t recognise it.’
Breathe
Finally, take some deep breaths.
‘Your body and brain are reacting to a perceived threat,’ says Chris.
‘If you needed to physically run right now, that would be helpful, but you don’t.
‘Taking some slow rhythmic breaths literally sends signals to your brain that you’re okay.
‘Your brain will respond by calming you down so that you can focus.’
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