Laziness accompanies us throughout life. Someone manages to get rid of her sweet embrace, someone does not: things are shelved, until the goals set – as if to the horizon. At the same time, experts urge not to suppress your need to be too lazy sometimes.
It would seem that we all know perfectly well why we are lazy. However, most often there can be many reasons behind the reluctance to do something. And some of them cannot be identified without deep introspection.
In most cases, laziness, like a runny nose, is just a symptom. Of course, you can drip medicine into your nose, but how long will the effect last? And will the true cause of the malaise disappear from this?
“Laziness is inherent in all people, but the question is different: what exactly is behind it? – explains the psychotherapist, existential analyst Svetlana Mardoyan. “I just don’t want to do anything? Or do I not want to do just that? Why don’t I see the point in this? Or am I not doing something because I am not confident in my abilities? Only the person himself can answer these questions, and it is better to understand the true causes of your condition with the help of a specialist.
Only a doctor can determine what caused apathy: a lack of vitamins, fatigue from work done, or depression. In the first case, vitamins will help, in the second – a good rest, and neither one nor the other will save you from the third.
Hugo’s method
“Laziness is always more than lack of motivation,” continues Svetlana Mardoyan. – In psychology, we do not define it as either a bad habit or a psychological disorder. This is the weakness of the will as a process – that is, action, overcoming any unpleasant circumstances or movement towards the chosen goal.
Finding a new high-paying job, starting to run in the morning, cleaning the room, preparing a presentation, washing the dishes – all this can cause internal resistance in us, the analysis of which will ultimately lead to an answer to the question of why we are lazy. Each of the symptoms, whether it be a lack of interest in what we are doing, a creative block or emotional burnout, requires a different “treatment”.
“Procrastination can also masquerade as laziness and take one of its forms: “I’m very tired,” “I don’t want to,” “This is not mine.” Think about it: what exactly is preventing you from doing what you need to do? says the expert. – External circumstances help to get out of this state: for example, when you need to prepare a presentation or complete a project. This is a matter of trust in yourself, awareness and choice: to find inner agreement with yourself and make a decision – to stay on the couch, like Emelya on the stove, and wait for everything to somehow work out by itself, or still get up and fulfill your plan.
Something similar, by the way, happened once with Victor Hugo. An outstanding French writer was also not averse to being lazy and once missed the deadline for submitting a novel so badly that the publisher’s patience came to an end. He set a condition for Hugo: either the book would be ready in six months, or the contract would be terminated. Then the writer gathered all his clothes, locked them, and gave the key to a reliable person: he simply had nothing to go out in. And Hugo had no choice but to sit in his office and write. The novel “Notre Dame Cathedral” he handed over to the publisher two weeks ahead of schedule.
Reach the bottom of laziness
Scientists who try to explain human behavior solely by genetics speak of the existence of a “gene of laziness”, which is allegedly inherited. And for it to start, the trigger mechanism must work – lack of motivation, several days of idleness in a row. There is no scientific evidence for the existence of this gene yet. However, according to Svetlana Mardoyan, if a child does not have an example of self-discipline, determination, purposefulness from early childhood, he can adopt the behavior of adults.
Some of us are industrious by nature, but repetitive work tends to lead to a decrease in motivation. And, as a result, there is a desire to be lazy.
“Many things affect our motivation,” explains Svetlana Mardoyan. Is what we are going to do included in our value system. Do our eyes burn when we do this. Do we feel a sense of security and confidence? If this is not the case, laziness appears.
Here is a situation familiar to many: too lazy to get up early in the morning. But will you get up with joy even at half past four, if ahead is the road to the airport and the flight that will take you to warmer climes? Of course, it is impossible to always do only what you like, but every day we are able to add pleasant things and chores to our routine. We live almost constantly in a “must” environment, so in order for a reboot to occur, you can sometimes afford to be lazy.
“And not just to be lazy, but to reach the very bottom of laziness,” Svetlana Mardoyan is sure. “Until the inner pull brings you back to life. After all, we are not robots that can work until the battery runs out.”
Such an alternation of rest with vigorous activity is a reliable way to maintain harmony and keep yourself in physical and mental tone. So, by the way, did Leonardo da Vinci. He worked for two hours and then slept for 20 minutes. The cycles were repeated one after another. Contemporaries claimed that the scientist could work at a similar pace for several weeks in a row.
Laziness can be both the worst punishment for us and a gift from nature. It is unlikely that you will become an overproductive person overnight, so just allow laziness to be present in your life. Don’t be ashamed of her. Understand what causes it, how it relates to the situation you are in, and what can be done about it. And remember: nothing comes into our life just like that.