Why Do People With Mental Health Problems, Learning Disabilities, and Especially BOTH, Procrastinate?
Writer:
Cycle of avoidance and negative reinforcement
Everyone procrastinates sometimes. But for folks with mental health and learning challenges, the struggle is REAL. The cycle of avoidance and negative reinforcement explains how and why we develop the habit of procrastination.
If you have a history of mental health and learning challenges you may have experienced discomfort around school obligations.
When you think about a new assignment or task, you are reminded of times in the past when you had difficulty completing an assignment, experienced frustration about an assignment, or were ashamed of your grade on an assignment.
Accordingly, thinking about the new task leads to more discomfort.
This brings on an urge to avoid, or procrastinate.
When you procrastinate, you will likely experience temporary relief from the discomfort or anxiety associated with the assignment.
Unfortunately, this “proves” that the discomfort was justified. Thinking about the task made me uncomfortable, and doing something else made me feel better!
As a result, the next time you think about the task, you are likely to feel even more discomfort, and the cycle will repeat again.
How to overcome procrastination
There is good news! The more a student can overcome procrastination, complete work, and get positive praise for it, the less that work will be automatically associated with discomfort.
Getting the academic support necessary to ensure that you produce work that reflects your actual ability (not limited by your mental health and learning challenges) will make the work easier, improve your self-esteem, and ensure you get the grades you deserve!
Success breeds more success and motivation, so starting with small goals and working towards a bigger one can help to fight off the urge to procrastinate.
Similarly, building in accountability (scheduling tutoring sessions or study groups, for example) will make it easier to get work done and help to break the cycle.
Figure out how you procrastinate, and make that harder. Do you snack instead of working? Don't work where there’s food! Do you pick up your phone and scroll instead of working? Put your phone in your bag, don’t leave it out on your desk.
Don't plan to do things at the last minute. Instead, plan ahead and budget in plenty of time so you don’t have to rush.
To prevent procrastination, use small rewards for yourself as incentives. Maybe after 45 minutes you can check social media, or after three chapters you can go get a snack. Choose quick but satisfying rewards that will fill your bucket and motivate you.
September 19, 2025
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