I Feel Lazy – How To Get Rid Of Laziness And Procrastination?

“I feel very lazy, I can’t do anything, I don’t want to do anything, I procrastinate too much. It is hurting my life big time. But I want to be active like successful people, I want to be free from this tangle. How to get rid of laziness and procrastination?”  laziness at the outset, seems to origin from mental causes, but the cause may be physical as well. While this problem requires a lot of motivation, simple easy Ayurvedic home remedies will also prove handy to get rid of laziness. Let us find out.

Laziness and procrastination:

Laziness and procrastination are the major mental hurdles between you and success.

Laziness – “I have to do it, but I can’t, or may be I don’t want to do it”.

Procrastination – “I have to do it, I want to do it, let’s do it tomorrow”

Effect of laziness and procrastination: 

• Failure in professional life  – ‘Don’t know when I will be completing the project, But if I wish, I can complete it this week.”
• Failure in personal life – ” I should be visiting the dentist today. But let me go next week”
• Failure in family life – “Since how many weeks, children want me to take them to that nearby new garden”

It is the feeling that we want to get rid off, but not today, tomorrow.

Causes and solutions for laziness and procrastination:

Laziness and procrastination arise both due to mental and physical reasons.

Tiredness leading to laziness 

 Tiredness can cause laziness. While you are feeling lazy, do a self check whether you are tired physically or mentally.

 If you think you are mentally tired,

• Take up some hobby,
• spice up your family life with a family tour or a surprise movie.
• Try to mix up different types of work.
• Organized mixing up of works leads to freshness in mind.  
• Sleep also helps to bring back freshness.

 If you think you are physically tired,

• Take rest, sleep for at least 8 hours at night.
• During your work, if physical tiredness comes in your way of marching forward, just a small 10 minutes nap works wonders.
• Consult a doctor. You might have some hidden physical problem.
• If you work for long hours continuously, you should consider  day sleep as an option.
• There are other reasons and solutions for physical tiredness. Read it here – I feel tired all the time.

Laziness hides in your body:

Most of the times, when you feel lazy, you can identify the focal point of laziness in your body.

Laziness in stomach: 

 Sometimes, laziness can be felt in the stomach. Reasons for this is – ‘Ama’  and ‘Kapha imbalance’. Here the usual symptoms –

• Thick white coating of stomach,
• Feeling heaviness in stomach
• Excessive salivation
• Feeling bitter or sweetness in the stomach
• No desire to take food.
• Feeling like you are going to vomit anytime soon.

If your laziness is associated with the above symptoms, do the following –

1. Do not eat till you feel lightness in the stomach.
2. Stop eating food over undigested food.
3. Keep a gap of minimum four hours between two eating schedules.
4. Do not take sweet, milk, curds or oily food till abdominal lightness is restored.
5. Drink a peg of ginger decoction / ginger tea, without milk.
6. Triphala with honey remedy – If ginger is too spicy for you, take a table-spoon of  Triphala powder mix it with honey to make a paste. lick it full. Drink a glass of warm water. This cleanses stomach and intestines.
7. If you have accidentally heavy, high cholesterol diet, follow these tips – What to do after high cholesterol diet
8. Watch what you eat at night

Laziness in body joints

If you are feeling lazy along with heaviness in joints, then ginger tea can of help or seek Ayurvedic help to get rid of this issue.

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Laziness due to attitude:

• Lack of motivation, lack of aim can cause laziness.
• Lack of direction sometimes makes you feel to stop work. Imagine the result that you want to achieve precisely, then it becomes a lot easier.
• Don’t let the confusions grow on you. DECIDE the exact date when you will go to dentist, when will you finish off that office project, when will you take your children to garden and when will you go for a family trip. DECIDE everything right now!
• Read inspirational biographies of successful people
• Keep your room and home neat and clean
• Keep an inspirational photo in front of you. Make it your phone and computer desktop background.
• Do not sleep without a plan for what you will do after getting up.
• Do not sleep without knowing when you are going to get up.
• Do not sleep without an alarm clock.
• Do not eat without a proper plan. Do not eat till you really feel like eating.
• Write down things to do and read it over and over again – at least two times a day.
• Stop excessive sex, masturbation, smoking and alcohol.
• Switch off TV and close that facebook tab in your PC. You might be wasting your time.
• Replace oily food and sweets with fruit and vegetable salads
• Do not over commit. Say no to things that are not-so-important things.
• Start going to gym, yoga, dance class or your favorite sports. Being physically fit helps to be active and kick out laziness.
• Try stand working

Laziness due to depression  

 If a bad feeling is hurting your work for long time, follow these tips to get rid of depression

Depression is explained as a causative factor for many diseases. A positive mindset helps you to reach pristine heights, a depressed mind brings to you many diseases, apart from that feeling of negativity. Here are a few mental depression causes –

TV causes depression – watching TV for long hours is a known cause of depression. Apart from keeping your body inactive, TV indulgence keeps your mind dull and inactive as well.

Drinking causes depression – Though you feel elevated and get a cloud-9 feeling, once the kick leaves you, depression attacks.

Excessive indulgence in internet and social networking – Gossiping, feeling jealous about a friend’s new car pics on facebook, comparing your performance or status with others, failing to grab attention or receive responses to your posting etc cause a lot of pressure and depression. So beware. orkut, twitter and facebook causes depression.

Sleep and depression are inter-related. 20 % of people with insomnia tend to have depression. Conversely people with depression tend to suffer from insomnia.

Genetic factor is a known cause.

Biological causes such as imbalance in neuro- transmitters (nerve – Chemical messengers) – serotonin, Acetylcholin, catecholamines etc.

Women and depression – In women, the hormones estrogen and progesterone are also found to have a role in depression. This is also a reason why women tend to get Pre Menstrual Symptoms.

Age related depression – feeling of dependence, lack of body strength, nagging chronic diseases, uncaring children, worries about future etc makes elderly people vulnerable for depression.

Comparison with others – People often compare their life and status with others; usually the neighbors, relatives, classmates or colleagues. When they feel that they are inferior in any of the respects of one’s own thinking, he starts worrying and hating those individuals or sectors or group of people. Ultimately the jealousy they develop will burn them , each and every moment.

Reason for depression according to ayurveda:

• Intake of incompatible food (Viruddhahara)
• Intake of excess Kapha aggravating food (Kaphaja Ahara)
• Food possessing heaviness, slowness, cooling and unctuous( Guru-Manda-Sheeta-Snigdha Ahara)
• Tamasika food (Food which provoke Tamas.)
• Excess sleep (Nidradhikya)
• Sedentary life (Akarmana)
• Grief (Arati)
• Fear (Adhairya/ Bhaya) etc.

Ayurvedic concept of depression:

‘Mano avasada‘ is the word we find in Ayurvedic literatures about depression or inferiority. Ayurveda points out specific reasons too for this kind of attitude. Even though this particular problem is not narrated under a single heading in classical literature, we come across scattered references of depression in various contexts.

Clinical features of depression:

• Isolation (Visanga)
• Loss of concentration (Adheera drishti)
• Grief (Arati)
• Sadness (Apraharsha)
• Reduced working ability (Karma hani )
• Crying spells,
• Suicidal thoughts etc. 

Lifestyle tips for depression:

Wake up early in the morning. Early morning hours are dominated by Vata, which elevates your mood levels and keeps you motivated and energized throughout the day. Learn how to wake up early

Exercise – Exercise not only builds your body, it also elevates mood and self confidence. At least 10 minutes of walking, jogging, outdoor games with kids should be good enough.

Hobbies – Hobby is a great way to divert your attention from depression and to open up your creative mind. Learn how hobbies can cure depression.

Friend in need – There must be someone in your family or friend circle who totally understands you and motivates you chat with him / her daily and get motivation and emotional support. 

Eating Habits – Include a variety of fruits and vegetables. Avoid excess salt and spicy foods 

Have more of apricots, broccoli, cantaloupe, carrots, collards, peaches, pumpkin, spinach, sweet potato blueberries, broccoli, grapefruit, kiwi, oranges, peppers, potatoes, strawberries, tomato, margarine, nuts and seeds, vegetable oils, wheat germ.

Line of treatment of depression:

First line of treatment begins from assurance and confidence building through series of counselling and solving personal problems. This is done by talking to the patient and also helping the kin of patient to make necessary adjustments. For example, if the parents are very strict with their son, causing depression in the son, then parents are advised to be a bit lenient.
The medicaments possessing carminative and digestive properties (Deepanaand Pachana) are found to be essential to stimulate and improve body metabolism.
Cleansing Panchakarma therapies such as purgation (Virechana) and Nasal drops(Nasya) are adopted based on necessity;
Virechana treatment balances Pitta and Vata dosha, which are related to mood, intelligence etc.
Nasya treatment strengthens mind and sense organs.
Suitable medicines are administered – to correct mood, sleeping habits, to improve self confidence etc.

Herbs useful in treating depression: 

Vacha-Sweet flag – Acorus calamus – Useful to improve intelligence, in cases of depression associated with aggressive behavior (such as Manic Depressive Psychosis), irrelevant talk etc

Jyotishmati-Celastrus paniculatus – Improves intelligence, digestion strength and body metabolism

Jatamansi – Nardostachys jatamamsi – Useful in depression, psychosis and lack of sleep.

Heeng-Asafetida – useful in depression associated with gastritis symptoms, bloating, anorexia etc.

Cumin seeds, Ajamoda-Celery – Useful in depression with gastric complaints

Ashwagandha – Useful in depression associated with lack of body strength, lack of sleep, lack of energyPushkaramoola-Inula plant – Useful in depression associated with anxiety, breathing difficulties, etc.Ginger, Turmeric and Nutmeg – Useful in depression with respiratory and digestive symptoms.

Ayurvedic medicines for depression:

Jyotishmati Taila – 2-3 drops are added to milk and taken twice daily

Mamsyadi Kashaya – 30 ml twice daily in empty stomach
Anu Taila (For Nasya)
Ashwagandharishta – used in the treatment of sexual disorders, depression etc.
Hinguvachadi Choorna – also useful in Ayurvedic treatment of indigestion, bloating and abdominal pain
Pushkara moolasava – also useful in treating Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disorder, Bronchitis etc
Brahmi Ghrita – Useful in improving intelligence, learning skills and speech.
Siddharthaka Ghrita
Dhanwantari Gutika
Mahapaishachika Ghrita – useful in pscyhosis and depression