Thread: inertia
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Old 04-20-2015, 06:20 AM
  # 6 (permalink)  
Aellyce
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Join Date: Jul 2010
Posts: 10,912
I definitely had this, actually much more during my heavy drinking but I really struggled initially in early sobriety as well. I wasn't depressed then, was just used to not doing decent things and it took a while for my motivation to return in a steady way. I also struggled a lot with procrastination, which in my case was ~a life-long bad habit, much worse when I was drinking. The procrastination for me is largely an anxiety-driven behavior (plus I sometimes just want to distract myself) and I went to therapy to address it, worked pretty well but I need to keep an eye on it. My therapist said back then that with my pattern, it might take a good year to stabilize a new behavior and he compared it to my going on a different diet and sticking to it. It's been ~a year now and I feel quite comfortable

Practically speaking, there are a lot of ways to tackle this if you know the reason, I think. I like Soberwolf's post about gradually increasing the work load. I also work best when I break down big projects into smaller parts and target them strategically, otherwise I tend to get stuck in the anxiety of overwhelm. Oh, and the "paralysis by analysis" too, I am very prone to it. Another anxiety-related habit for me and the way around it is forcing myself to do the thing regardless of my initial feelings (even if it's lack of motivation). Once I'm on the task, all those feelings typically vanish, I feel quite driven, and happy when things get completed.

Like others said, it takes a while. If you can afford to be patient with yourself, it's a good idea, but do try to give yourself small projects to start the process.
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