Reading time: 3 min
Slowness is a decrease in the speed of mental, cognitive and cognitive processes. Also allocate activity slowness and a delay in decision-making. In general, this category can be characterized as a decrease in the speed of response, relative to the speed of most people.
It is this quality of personality that leads to a general lack of fulfillment, a feeling of lack of success and a fulfilling life only in one's own thoughts and plans. Slowness in adults has always left them in middle positions, but the slowness of children makes them turn to specialists and look for various organic disorders. Since the speed of mental processes largely determines the survival of a person and his implementation in society, slowness is regarded as a pathology or a symptom that characterizes a negative state.
Signs of slowness include the inability to focus on one task at hand, such people constantly need to be distracted by social feed news or watching programs. The following items include breaking a variety of temporary arrangements, whether it's paying bills or meeting up with friends. You can often notice that a person loses the chance to buy something for a promotion, to catch a departing bus, to win in a promotion randomly organized near the house. All this happens because of the need for a long time to think about what is happening and make decisions.
Reasons for slowness
Just as the manifestations of slowness are varied, so the reasons for such a worldview cannot be identified by one factor. The slowness of thinking may be due to, which directly reflects the strength and dynamics of the nervous system. Temperamentally strong types react faster, but phlegmatic and melancholic people tend to immerse themselves in lengthy thoughts or simply give out not so quick a reaction.
It affects the temporary indicators of slowness, and does not cause it as a permanent quality. So doing boring and uninteresting work, a person will be constantly distracted, and even if there are no interesting activities at hand (free Wi-Fi or an old acquaintance), then thoughts will uncontrollably flow into topics that are more emotionally significant.
Another temporary indicator that increases the slowness is the objective difficulty of the work or the subjective fear of a person not being able to cope. In the case of real complexity, such activities always require more concentration and effort, often along the way, familiarization with new information, which reduces the pace of productivity. With easy activity, but the fear of not coping, a person tends to double-check his decisions several times, which increases the total time of work.
Faced with intractable or global tasks, it is common for a person to postpone the start of actions for as long as possible, believing that everything will be resolved by magical oblivion. No amount of life experience can force a person to instantly start developing a plan of action if, when looking at the task, he feels his failure. There will be attempts to shift responsibilities, look for workarounds, some are subjected to psychosomatic disorders, and only then, when all the deadlines are burning, they make decisions and naturally do not have time.
A more serious factor that forms characterological slowness is the family and the peculiarities of upbringing. In authoritarian families, where any activity of the child stops, the individual develops the behavior of stopping his own manifestations.
Growing up, such people are afraid to take a step, to express their desires and preferences, on an instinctive level, fearing punishment and parental prohibition, even if it has not been relevant for a mature person for a long time. In addition to stopping one's activity, slowness is a form of passive protest against the conventions and demands of stronger ones (in childhood, all adults). Lacking the resources for open confrontation, the only way the child can regulate the moments that are unpleasant for him is to delay.
The unwillingness of something, as in childhood, may well be in an adult and not every person has learned to refuse unpleasant moments. A girl who dreams of getting married will go on all dates, even with those who are not attractive to her, but will be late. A guy who is "sick" of his place of work will delay all the deadlines for the project from time to time. Such things do not happen on purpose, it’s just that the subconscious mind is looking for ways to stop the unpleasant moments of life, and if this cannot be done directly, then it turns on slowness in order to at least prolong the period of undesirable moments.
Mental disorders related to the section of pathopsychology, in some cases, manifest themselves through slowness. This includes depressive disorders, when a person is severely emotionally and physically exhausted and unable to react at the right speed, in addition, a lack of interest in external events is connected, and in order for them to provoke some kind of activity, more efforts and incentives are needed. Apathy, thought disorders and general mental exhaustion are medical reasons for the manifestation of slowness.
Disorders in the work of the central nervous system, provoked by the use of alcohol, drugs, organic brain damage also form a slow pace of thinking. This part is corrected exclusively in the early stages, after which the violations are fixed and become irreversible.
And the last reason for slowing down thinking is due to the physiological processes of aging of the body, when not only cognitive functions, but absolutely all body systems begin to work at a reduced pace. It is worth learning to take this option for granted, since all that can be done is to slow down the decline in the usual indicators, but not completely stop the process.
How to deal with slowness
Slowness is annoying not only in the context of the behavior of others, the person himself, who does not have time and misses life, this state of affairs is also not very encouraging. But the presence of such a feature is incorrigible only in some cases, in most cases it is possible to deal with slow thinking and reactions with the help of psychological techniques on your own or with the support of a psychotherapist.
You should start with the simplest planning of your time for the near and long term. Techniques, the ability to highlight the main thing and create motivation for yourself will be an excellent help. Always in the first place in the plans should be the most important things that are significant in the context of a long time. The schedule must be structured, otherwise, instead of saving time and resources, you can get the opposite result when the nails are painted, the dust is wiped off, all the friends are met, but the candidate, whose defense in a week is still in the “raw” version. The timing of each activity must also be spelled out - the schedule cannot be floating, otherwise the tendency to postpone, out of habit, will take its toll.
Keeping in mind that slowness is caused by unwillingness to perform activities and negative emotions from the possible onset of the need, it is worth creating your own motivation. You can look for positive moments, introduce an element of the game, competition, your own benefit, think about the consequences of what you have done, or even just promise yourself a reward (going to the cinema, a day of laziness, meeting friends, etc.). In addition to finding motivation, it is necessary to deal with indecision in the implementation of the first steps. The longer the smallest details are weighed, the harder the decision is made, the more time it takes, although in practice everything will turn out to be completely different, no matter how much you calculate the risks. It is necessary to leave a certain amount of uncertainty and be able to start acting, despite the lack of guarantees.
You can arrange competitions with yourself or involve other people in this - it is important to increase the speed of doing things each time. Rivalry forces you to put aside all the buzzing gadgets, not to pick up unnecessary calls and not to consider new styles on passers-by. The maximum concentration inherent in athletes is largely due to the moments of the competition. Even if there is no one to compete with, and it is impossible to exceed the speed of execution due to technical reasons, it is necessary to take on the work at the point when it appeared. Even if the project seems large and your own skills are insufficient, you need to immediately deal with the complexities in the process, breaking one problem into several step-by-step ones.
In cases where sluggishness is provoked by psychopathological conditions and organic lesions, there is no need to apply psychological techniques; first, it is necessary to eliminate the physiological cause, if possible. To do this, you need to get advice from several specialists and only after completing the course of general therapy, seek advice from a psychologist.
The help of psychotherapeutic specialists will be relevant in cases where the slow pace of thinking is due to the psychotraumas of the childhood period or an initially unfavorable upbringing system. With individuals whose harmonious development was disrupted by the social environment without the possibility of recovery, sometimes you have to work for more than one year, overcoming established behaviors.
Speaker of the Medical and Psychological Center "PsychoMed"
- the main obstacle standing on the way to success. Procrastination is a "little weakness" due to which most tasks remain unfulfilled. It is one of the main reasons for unfulfilled hopes and unfulfilled thoughts and ideas.
Slowness can put an end to the career growth of the most talented specialist. For a manager or owner of his own business, slowness is fraught with disaster at the enterprise, because in the conditions of modern competition, delay is unacceptable. And for an ordinary person who does not occupy high positions and does not build a career, slowness can cause problems and various troubles.
That is why, if you can describe yourself as a "slow person", the fight against this character trait should be your main task.
How to recognize a slow person in yourself
If you notice behind yourself that you are constantly looking for something to distract yourself with, you are a slow person. You are haunted by the TV remote control lying next to you, you prepare coffee for yourself several times an hour and just as often arrange a smoke break for yourself, instead of starting work, you decide to clean your desktop, put off important things, taking on what something secondary - you suffer from slowness.
You slow person if you don’t pay your bills on time, if you don’t cash out a gift certificate on time, if you miss opportunities (for example, you don’t have time to buy a ticket to a concert of your favorite band), if you delay buying gifts until the last minute, if you file your tax return late, if ...
Having understood the causes of slowness, the fight against it will become more understandable and effective. The main reasons are:
indecisiveness, which arises as a result of a person’s striving for perfection or the desire to insure himself against mistakes and failures, is one of the reasons for slowness.
The complexity of the task and not knowing where to start is often the cause of our procrastination. “Will it work, won’t it?” - this question forces us to postpone the execution of pressing matters for an indefinite time.
Another reason why we procrastinate is that this or that thing seems unpleasant to us. Not wanting to do something that we don't like, we put off doing it and hope that maybe circumstances will change and we won't have to do it at all. As a rule, nothing changes, and as a result, we grab at the unpleasant work at the last moment, do it poorly and do not meet deadlines.
Inability to plan your working day and strictly follow the plan (how difficult it can be, especially if you have remote work, plan a working day) some consider the main reason why people procrastinate, while others are sure that procrastination is not a matter of planning and meaningful use of time. For example, Joseph Ferrari, Ph.
The family environment is one of the causes of slowness. A person is not born slow, he becomes slow, and sometimes becomes thanks to education. If a child is brought up by authoritarian parents who do not allow develop self-discipline skills, to realize and realize their own intentions, this can become the basis for the emergence of this character trait. Also, slowness can become the only possible form of disobedience (reluctance and unwillingness to do something), a protest that will take root and become the norm of behavior in adulthood.
Associate Professor and Professor of Psychology at Carlton University in Canada, Timothy Pichil believes that slow people are more likely to abuse alcohol and drugs. By doing this, they avoid solving life problems and subsequently drop out of life. These bad habits (illness) are the cause of inaction and complete degradation of a person.
There are many reasons, and by and large, few are capable of denying themselves the pleasure of delaying the execution of a difficult or unpleasant task at least for a while. But so that slowness does not develop into chronic inactivity, you should know how to deal with it.
How to deal with slowness
Get rid of slowness help you plan your time! Having made a plan for tomorrow, at least you will not think about “Should I do this or not?”. When drawing up a plan for the day, it is better to put the things that bring you some discomfort in the first place. This will positively affect your productivity.
Overcoming procrastination will help clear the deadlines you allotted for the implementation of cases. The deadline should be real, it’s better to increase it a little than fuss and get nervous, afraid of not being on time.
If you are procrastinating and hesitant to start a task because of its complexity and seeming impossible, break it down into subtasks. The analysis of subtasks, as a rule, helps in finding the first step.
Fight slowness with momentum. Take action, because continuing what you started is easier than getting off the ground.
Self-motivation will help you cope with slowness when doing complex and unpleasant things. Imagine what a solved task or a job well done promises you, or, conversely, think about the consequences that will arise if you do not do something. You can reward yourself for doing a good job, say, by going to the movies.
If procrastination is a manifestation of indecision and endless consideration of various nuances, you just need to understand that there is time to discuss and ponder, and there is time to act. The time for action comes at a time when any new information can no longer significantly affect the quality of the future decision. In other words, try to get complete and reliable information in a short time, and then into battle. Corrections can be made along the way.
Overcome the slowness born of the fear that things will go wrong, it helps to realize that if you don't take action at all, the outcome will be much worse. Soberly consider and formulate all possible difficulties and provide ways to eliminate them.
If you find an error, please highlight a piece of text and click Ctrl+Enter.
If a person behaves, in our opinion, strange or eccentric, this does not always mean that he suffers from some kind of mental disorder, as we used to think. It is very common to hear people call someone mentally retarded or paranoid without thinking about the meaning of the words being spoken. But this can negatively affect those who actually have problems associated with mental health.Misconceptions about how this or that disease manifests itself can make a person refuse help when he really needs it. In this article, you will learn about ten mental illnesses and disorders that we sometimes misunderstand.
1. Bipolar affective disorder (BAD)
What it is not: Many people mistakenly associate bipolar affective disorder (BAD) with mood swings. It is often attributed to pregnant women who first yell at their unsuspecting husbands and then hug and kiss them as if nothing had happened.
What is it really: People suffering from bipolar affective disorder periodically experience attacks of mania, which are characterized by excessive excitability, a surge of strength and energy, increased activity and vigor.
To those around them, the manic state in which people with BAD find themselves does not seem so bad from the outside. In fact, it is a real problem for those who are affected by it. In addition to the symptoms listed above, a person who has bipolar affective disorder may also experience hallucinations and delusions. Moreover, when the period of enthusiasm and euphoria passes, depression begins (sadness, apathy, hopelessness, loss of interest in ordinary activities, etc. appear), which after a while is again replaced by mania.
2. Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder
What it is not: Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a common diagnosis among children. When a child cannot concentrate on studying, doing basic housework and other things, adults begin to sound the alarm and immediately run to the doctor for advice. They believe that if their child is not interested in a certain type of activity, is constantly distracted by something, or shows excessive excitement and energy, then he has developed attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. In fact, all this is a sign of the normal development of the child.
What is it really: Those who suffer from ADHD cannot focus on one activity, even if they enjoy it very much. They are not able to finish what they started, because they are constantly distracted by the slightest stimuli. They lack concentration, which makes it extremely difficult for them to organize their activities.
ADHD is also characterized by symptoms such as hyperactivity and impulsive behavior. Children suffering from this disorder are not able to sit still for a long time, they talk too much, show recklessness and impatience. There are no restrictions for them. Changes in diet and daily routine, appropriate therapy and taking certain medications will help get rid of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder.
3. Dissociative identity disorder (DID)
What it is not: We behave differently in every situation. A quiet, polite assistant manager who works weekends at a club can turn into the wildest animal you'll ever meet in your life. However, this does not mean at all that he suffers from dissociative identity disorder (DID; split personality). The same applies to teenagers who communicate normally with friends, and parents are constantly rude and rude.
What is it really: With dissociative identity disorder, a “switch” occurs in a person from one personality to another, while he often finds it difficult to remember what he did while his second “I” was active.
Areas of difference between these personalities can include demeanor, speech, thoughts, and even gender identity. People with DID often experience depression; they develop suicidal tendencies, anxiety, confusion, memory problems, hallucinations, and disorientation.
4. Drug or alcohol addiction
What it is not: Drug addicts and alcoholics are usually thought of as people who lack willpower and self-control, but that's not the only problem. If you could not resist eating a couple of extra chocolate cakes during lunch, does this act mean that you are addicted to them? Eating too much sweets, watching TV from morning to night, listening to songs by the same artist repeatedly have much more in common with willpower and self-discipline than drug or alcohol addiction.
What is it really: Drug addiction and alcoholism are serious mental illnesses in which a person experiences an irresistible craving for a particular substance. He is unable to stop, so he continues to use it even though it interferes with his normal life and leads to social or interpersonal problems.
As mentioned above, drug addicts and alcoholics are sick people, so they need treatment and outside help.
5. Tourette syndrome
What it is not: Tourette Syndrome is often attributed to those children who sit in the back of the classroom and yell "purple dinosaur" when the teacher asks for the name of the state capital of New York. Your friend who doesn't filter his thoughts before they're out of his mouth can actually hold back and find the right words, but he just doesn't want to. If you insult or swear at someone, meanwhile realizing that it is stupid, then Tourette's syndrome has nothing to do with it. You are trying to justify your bad manners and bad behavior.
What is it really: Tourette syndrome (TS) is a disorder characterized by multiple motor tics (at least one of them is verbal). These include rolling your eyes, licking your lips, tugging at your clothes, twirling a lock of your hair around your finger, and so on.
Verbal tics include coughing, grunting, humming without words, stuttering, and coprolalia (impulsive, uncontrollable uttering of vulgar or obscene words).
6. Narcissistic Personality Disorder
What it is not: Each of us in life met such a person who was proud of his appearance or mental abilities and thought that he was a gift to humanity. However, if you love yourself and have high self-esteem, this does not mean that you suffer from narcissistic personality disorder.
What is it really: A person with narcissistic personality disorder often acts like they are the center of the universe, but internally they constantly worry about whether they are good enough in the eyes of others. Such people are constantly looking for approval from outside, but their standards are usually either too high or unreasonably low - but in both cases they consider themselves important people. They do not care about those around them, but they always strive to take the main place in the life of every person. People with narcissistic personality disorder need admiration. They love to exploit others.
7. Antisocial personality disorder
What it is not: Probably, each of us had such a friend who liked to be alone, but what's wrong with that? From time to time people feel the need to escape from the outside world and be alone with themselves. This is not a mental disorder, but a completely natural need.
What is it really: A person with antisocial personality disorder enjoys hurting other people. He is characterized by manipulativeness, heartlessness, hostility, impulsiveness, recklessness, indifference and contempt. He never feels remorse and is able to mislead others due to his charm and charisma.
8. Anorexia and bulimia
What they are not: Models are often called anorexic just because they are thin, but this has nothing to do with mental illness. There is nothing wrong with following a certain diet and exercising. If you eat foods that upset your stomach or eat too many cookies, it doesn't mean you have bulimia.
What is it really: Anorexia nervosa and bulimia nervosa are serious mental disorders in which a person sees himself differently from the people around him. He thinks that he is too fat or too thin, although in reality this is far from being the case.
Those who have anorexia are afraid to gain a couple of extra pounds, so they exhaust themselves with various diets. People with bulimia tend to constantly overeat and try to control their weight by inducing vomiting or using laxatives.
9. Mental retardation
What it is not: Many people are accustomed to calling those who, in their opinion, behave stupidly or express their thoughts unclearly, mentally retarded. But is it really so?
What is it really: Mental retardation is a delay or incomplete development of the psyche, which negatively affects adaptive functioning in conceptual, social and practical areas. Individuals with this disorder learn more slowly and are sometimes unable to master certain skills. They may have problems with language acquisition, basic mathematics, logical thinking, speech, personal hygiene, task organization, and so on.
10 Obsessive Compulsive Disorder
What it is not: Many mistakenly associate obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) with neatness, cleanliness, organization, and perfectionism. All this will not be considered a sign of mental illness until it begins to unnecessarily affect a person's daily life.
What is it really: People with OCD are constantly trying to get rid of obsessive thoughts (related to death, illness, infection, safety, loss of loved ones, etc.) through the same actions called compulsions. Obsessive-compulsive disorder is a type of anxiety disorder. Without anxiety, intrusive thoughts and behaviors are common human quirks.
The material was prepared by Rosemarina - according to the material of the site
