Getting Anxious At Unfinished Tasks

[pwarbi]

I've mentioned before on other threads, but for me in particular, all my anxiousness is, is not being able to relax and overthinking things to much. If you are getting anxious about things being left unfinished then sometimes even just taking a step back away from everything can help, and instead of making a list and trying to stick to it, just think about the tings that aren't finished and causing you t be anxious and ask yourself how important are they in the great scheme of things anyway?


Not doing the household chores for one day might seem like a massive problem, but realistically, if nobody is coming round that day and they can be done tomorrow, then is it really worth making yourself ill over?

 

[rz3300a]

Well this is certainly something that I have been dealing with for the better part of my life, and it is made even worse by the fact that I am a pretty big procrastinator. Sometimes it feels like the only real motivation I have to complete things are the deadline that is set in place, which is frustrating but that is just the way it has always been. As they remain unfinished, though, I am usually a mess and worry about them constantly. I know it does not make much sense, but neither does a lot of things that I do. Interesting stuff, though, and thanks for sharing.

 

[kgord]

It can be anxiety provoking when tasks are left unfinished..but to quote some over used phrases,, "DOn't let it get to you and "Don't sweat the small stuff." Yes, it is nicer to be able to relax when you have everything done, but sometimes that just is not possible. I think being aware of the things you have accomplished, and keeping a positive spin on things is just the way to know that you are making progress on your journey.

 

[justsayyes]

I do feel that way especially when i have a deadline to meet. I used to do things in the last minute alot when i was still in school but i don't do that anymore especially to job related things that needs to be done in specific timeframe.

 

[gracer]

It can be anxiety provoking when tasks are left unfinished..but to quote some over used phrases' date=', "DOn't let it get to you and "Don't sweat the small stuff." Yes, it is nicer to be able to relax when you have everything done, but sometimes that just is not possible. I think being aware of the things you have accomplished, and keeping a positive spin on things is just the way to know that you are making progress on your journey.[/quote']
You're so right. I think this is what I really need to practice in my life. I need to practice relaxing a bit even if there are still some things left undone. When you come to think of it, there's no right time or moment for relaxation because things seem stressful most of the time so I reallybhave to learn how to cope with this kind of situation. Thank you so much for helping me realize this.

 

[pwarbi]

Well this is certainly something that I have been dealing with for the better part of my life' date=' and it is made even worse by the fact that I am a pretty big procrastinator. Sometimes it feels like the only real motivation I have to complete things are the deadline that is set in place, which is frustrating but that is just the way it has always been. As they remain unfinished, though, I am usually a mess and worry about them constantly. I know it does not make much sense, but neither does a lot of things that I do. Interesting stuff, though, and thanks for sharing.[/quote']
Ahhh, the good old procrastination problem. Before I suffered anxiety and depression I was very confident and was able to make decisions easily but then that changed pretty quickly. What would have been a straight forward decision before, I was finding that I was thinking about things a lot more and that in turn made me struggle to finish things simply because I was taking to much time to decide what to do in the first place. If you only have 20 minutes for example to eat your lunch when you're at work, but spend 10 minutes deciding what you want, then obviously you're going to struggle.

 

[SirJoe]

I am a bit stubborn when it comes to this sort of thing and I used to get really frustrated if I wasn't able to finish what I started. I have been able to relax more recently and I realize that sometimes there are things that we just can't finish. It's still difficult to brake away from a project but sometimes it's the best thing.

 

[pwarbi]

I think that as soon as you realise that sometimes things are better off left unfinished, the more you tend to relax in your life in general. i used to be that worried about not finishing things that I rushed through them and they didn't turn out as well as I wanted, even though they was finished. I then worried about the quality and then wished I'd have taken more time and left them unfinished, so I got to the point where I was going round in circles at one point!

 

[L.Snowflake]

I personally work well and effectively under the pressure of time, probably cause I'm always late for everything and I've gotten used to it. But I always make sure that I have a plan of work that I try to follow, but I don't stress too much over it. Personally when I have a project or an exams that I need to prepare for I do the things that I like most at first, then when I feel that I have a clear idea for what I want to do I take care of the other parts that I don 't really like or enjoy doing. Whenever I am in a stressful and overwhelming I just really say to myself "just do your best" and even if it might not be the most perfect advise I find it very calming and it helps me at least try to complete my task in the best way that I can.

 

[djordjem87]

I like to start early so I don't have to worry later. It really isn't a nice picture when I am panicking and getting anxious about unfinished work. I learned that years ago and now I start several days before I need to really. I just like to prep for everything and make sure not to have these thoughts of failure in my mind. I was in high school when I realize that and I am29 now. I am starting to feel better in general though, with my anxiety and everything but OCD is not leaving but I guess that is not a big deal after all.

 

[kimmie216]

I do become anxious if I am not able to get everything done that I would like or need to complete. This happens at home and at work. Usually, I have so many things on my mind that I feel as though I am being pulled in a million different directions. I try to multi-task, which sometimes causes me to forget something because I'm focused on different things at once. I am definitely a list maker in order to try and stay organized. This can increase my anxiety because then I am seeing everything that I need to do and didn't get done. However, if I don't keep the lists, I know that I will forget something! I have found myself trying to repeat "There are only so many hours in a day" and "I will not be able to do everything" to myself throughout the day and this does help. I have also begun prioritizing the most important things that have to be completed so that I am at least completing the most important tasks for the day and not leaving something out that is going to increase my anxiety tenfold.

 

[pwarbi]

I do become anxious if I am not able to get everything done that I would like or need to complete. This happens at home and at work. Usually' date=' I have so many things on my mind that I feel as though I am being pulled in a million different directions. I try to multi-task, which sometimes causes me to forget something because I'm focused on different things at once. I am definitely a list maker in order to try and stay organized. This can increase my anxiety because then I am seeing everything that I need to do and didn't get done. However, if I don't keep the lists, I know that I will forget something! I have found myself trying to repeat "There are only so many hours in a day" and "I will not be able to do everything" to myself throughout the day and this does help. I have also begun prioritizing the most important things that have to be completed so that I am at least completing the most important tasks for the day and not leaving something out that is going to increase my anxiety tenfold.[/quote']
Prioritising your work load is important in life anyway, but if you are having to deal with the pressure of unfinished task making you anxious as well, it's even more important that you maintain that discipline. I'm sure that we all have things that we need to do in life, and we will all have different priorities, so it's important to be able to learn how to cope with what we need to do, and maybe more importantly, no matter what they are, realise that nothing is important enough to make ourselves unwell over.


It's obviously important to make sure we get things done in life, but for the things that we don't manage to get done that minute, there will always be another minute in the future. If we worry ourselves sick too much and too often, sometimes for some people sadly that might not be the case in the worst case scenarios.

 

[rldonah]

The closer and closer a deadline gets, the more anxiety about it I feel. Like it's been said, that's something that probably happens to a lot of people though. Anxiety in and of itself isn't a disorder. But when you have an anxiety disorder that can cause the anxiety you feel to be more intense and last longer than it would for the average person. Oh the feeling you get when it's all done though. Phew, relief!

 

[KW2496]

This happens to me all of the time. And then I unintentionally make it worse for myself when I have a bunch of stuff to do because I don't know where to start and then I just end up not starting at all. I make lists and everything but I still find that I get overwhelmed when I have lots to do. I try focusing on just one thing at a time until it's done and that does sometimes work for me.

 

[pwarbi]

When it comes to setting deadlines on tasks, I think that a lot of us put too much pressure on ourselves, and maybe in the past when you wasn't affected by anxiety we might have been able to cope with that pressure, we have to understand that now we can't. We have to make allowances for ourselves, and realise that we have to make the deadlines longer just so we don't put ourselves under too much pressure.


Going through and dealing with anxiety is stressful in itself, we don't need the extra pressure putting on us as well, and even if it's only for a short amount of time till e'll feeling a bit more level headed again, that break we need from the stress is important to our long term health, and at the end of the day, that's more important to us than any short term deadline.

 

[stephonline]

It is totally natural to be a little anxious because you haven't finished a task. It happens to all of us and is nothing to worry about. It only becomes a problem when you start to obsess over that task and it does not let you move on and do other things with your time. Just relax and know that you will get to it in time. It is okay to let things sit in the moment because that is when you can let your mind get creative and you can come up with new solutions. Enjoy the pause!

 

[misszerable]

I don't know how it is called, but I've always called it completion complex. I am an accountant and in my most recent job, I handled 5 companies with only 4 staff who are all non-accountants. I am always at the last leg of all accounting works and I tend to always extend my working hours, at no extra pay. I would even take my work home at times just to finish what had to be done for a day. We also work around internal and external reporting deadlines so we can't afford to be lax for a single day. I've kept up with that completion complex for more than 5 years until recent events had compelled me to give myself a break.

 

[Humphrey247]

I'd suggest a technique that is pretty well known and that I read in 'Eat That Frog' by Brian Tracy. It involves completing the most difficult tasks you've set as soon as you wake up. I've used this technique for a while and I've found it works since my willpower is highest in the morning.

 

[Petesede]

Hi guys! I have this tendency to get anxious whenever I have tasks that I'm not able to finish or complete on time. Sometimes my sleep would get affected and even my focus on other things would get too hazy for me. My mind becomes too stuffy that I would sometimes feel overwhelmed by it. When this happens, I don't get to think clearly. The only remedy would be for me to finish whatever it is that is bothering me.
Have you ever felt anxious during times that you were not able to finish your tasks on time? How did you deal with it?

Procrastination is a huge problem for a lot of people. The other issue is dealing with the size of a task. My solution is to always break a big project down into little steps and then never focus on the big picture, instead just look at the next little babystep that is in front of me. I can´t remember the QB, but he was young and playing in the Superbowl and he was asked after the game if being in the superbowl intimidated him, if trying to win the biggest game in the world was daunting.. and he basically said that all he did was try to win every play. He never thought about the big thing, he just thought of what his job was on each individual play, and he let the game take care of itself.


I am also huge on making lists. Not only do I break up projects into smaller projects, but i list them in order, and then with the approximate amount of time each step should take. it is amazing how something that appears to be this huge project is really just a dozen steps that take a few hours each.