Revenge Procrastination: What keeps you up at Night?
Guruprasad Kamat
Wellness Tech Entrepreneur | Leveraging Design & Psychology to Innovate Wellbeing Solutions.
We understand if you're rolling your eyes and thinking about what you'll eat at 3 a.m. Time alone is hard to come by, and much of our privacy has been invaded in the last year. There's no shame in trying to exact revenge while you sleep if that's all you can think of to do until you come up with a more permanent solution. But there are certain things you may do if you want to stop putting off going to bed in order to get retribution.
What is Revenge Procrastination?
"Revenge bedtime procrastination" is the decision to skip sleep to do something fun because there isn't enough free time in the day. For people with high-stress jobs that take up most of their day, putting off going to bed until the last minute is a way to find a few hours of fun even though it means they won't get enough sleep.
How to Stop Revenge Procrastination.
Though externally, it looks like tackling boredom. On a deeper level, revenge procrastination is the act of repeatedly putting off completing a task or project because you feel guilty or ashamed about it. Revenge procrastination often starts with feeling overwhelmed by a problem or feeling like you can’t do it. Often, revenge procrastination takes the form of burying your head in the sand and refusing to take any action even though the problem seems insurmountable.
Here are some things you can try.
Make a commute.
if you're still working from home. The goal is to set limits so that you can enjoy your evening without feeling compelled to get up at 3 a.m. The best way to kick off a productive day is with some kind of commute exercise, even if it's simply a stroll around the block. She says it will help you "reset your internal compass" and be ready for a new week. Also, before calling it a day, "Switch off your computer and go for a stroll." "I told you not to turn on the TV," she admonishes. "This will aid in winding down from the day and make the shift from workplace to home more seamless."
Accept the fact that 24 hours is not enough time to get everything done.
Trying to fit all you need to do into a day is probably the source of your procrastination. When you finally finish doing all you can, it's usually late at night, and you're exhausted. You may reduce the likelihood that you'll need to relax for many hours around 11 p.m. by editing your to-do list as much as feasible, Do your best to keep in mind that 24 hours just aren't enough to get everything done.
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Get some good midnight nourishment.
If you must have it, make sure that your procrastination time is as relaxing as possible. You might, for example, replace your nightly Netflix binge with a good book, or your drink of wine with a glass of water (alcohol might help you doze off, but it can disrupt your REM sleep and leave you tired in the morning, SELF has previously reported). If you want to unwind and relax at this time, you should do something that has both positive health benefits and practical benefits.
Put an alarm on your phone for when you want to wake up. If you often fall asleep watching TV and wake up around 2 in the morning, you could benefit from using an alarm clock. Just as an alarm clock may signal the start of the day with a peaceful chime (or annoying siren), the end of the day can be signalled with a similar tone. Sure, being up too late is a sign of bedtime procrastination (or its close relative, revenge bedtime procrastination), but a little nudge in the right direction never hurts.
Let yourself go to sleep for a while before checking your phone.
Though experts advise against it, it is best to give yourself a little bit of time to wind down before hitting the hay. But here's the catch: if you lie in bed for 15 or 20 minutes and don't start feeling sleepier, resist the urge to check your phone or switch on the TV. Instead, go to a new room until you get bored of moving about. Simply "staying in bed awake" is not the answer, he says. "Get out of bed and do boring stuff in low light," they said. Back in bed (maybe after trying some light stretching or reading, or using your preferred meditation app), you can give it another go.?
Think about scheduling some therapy.
The negative consequences of sleep loss are true even if you delay going to bed or stay up late, as the payback is not technically insomnia. Consequently, try out cognitive behavioural therapy for sleeplessness. "The purpose of CBT for insomnia is to discover and modify thoughts that impact your capacity to sleep," she says. You'll be dealing with the stress and worry that comes with putting off going to bed out of spite and finding ways to deal with it or finding alternatives to it. A therapist may provide insight into your procrastination patterns and provide strategies for improving your sleep hygiene.
Overall, delaying going to bed out of spite isn't excellent for your health, but neither has the last year been particularly nice. Don't feel guilty about wanting vengeance while you're trying to figure out how to make it work for you. Even when the negatives can exceed the gain, people have "the liberty to spend time in a manner that they know is "not healthy for them." When feeling uncomfortable or unsettled, staying up a bit later to relax and do nothing might give you a sense of control over your life. When you feel like screaming at your responsibilities, try to remind yourself that sleep is your ally.