Have you ever noticed that laziness fuels more laziness and activity fuels more activity?
Whether it’s dealing with a family matter, pursuing a professional goal, picking up your socks, or managing your own wellness, it’s easy to procrastinate, delay, justify and deny yourself right into a big pile of inactivity.
For many people, stress from making big decisions or dealing with an ongoing stressful situation creates a level of discomfort and confusion in our minds and bodies. The burden of inaction weighs heavier than we think on the nervous system and on just about every other body system. You can feel guilty for being lazy, especially when you naturally compare yourself to others who you see as decidedly not lazy. It can take a lot of energy to suppress feelings and it takes a lot of work by your body to resist the temptation to transfer inaction into muscle aches, pain, and a general lack of wellness. That’s why when we’re lazy, we get more lazy. Our system just finally says “oh well” and gives in.
When you activate toward a goal, any goal, your body knows. You feel lighter and sharper. Your body’s natural ability to fight stress and confusion is replaced by your natural instincts to solve problems and work toward homeostasis. Your brain shifts from suppressing inaction to thinking about possibilities that move you forward. Increased activity releases positive hormones at levels that induce happiness and even euphoria. Activating toward a goal, or just getting off the couch, are both very good things for your mind and body.
It bears mentioning that there is a big difference between laziness and relaxation. Laziness suggests a conscious lack of motivation to do something. When you are lazy, you run away from your problems and obligations and choose avoidance over action. Relaxation is a conscious effort to release stress and negative emotions and to calm your mind. It’s a state where you choose to set aside the things that fill your head long enough to recharge, not ignore them, as you might do if you’re being lazy. There’s a time to be productive and a time to relax, but rarely a time where being lazy benefits you, or those around you.
So, don’t just sit there, activate! Inactivity and laziness are a choice. You will be happier if you work toward reducing stress and anxiety. Consciously relax, then meet your challenges with renewed energy. As you move toward your goals, try a massage. Focused bodywork is relaxing and can help you move emotionally, physically and spiritually toward a more balanced state.
