Moderated by
Lindsay Scheinerman, MA, LPC
Licensed Professional Counselor
My work with clients is to help them recognize and build on their strengths to find solutions for the conflicts presented in their lives.
Top Rated Answers
It can often come off as laziness. But what you are truly feeling inside is not laziness, it is fear.
Someone once told me that perfectionists are the biggest procrastinators. I don't know if it's true as a rule, but I've found it to be true for me. When I am worried about doing something just right, I tend to put it off until the worry that I won't get it done overwhelms the worry that I need to do it perfectly. When something makes us worry or is unpleasant, it's common for us to put it off. When we are anxious about a lot of things, we can put a lot of things off, which can come off as laziness. I don't think anxiety makes someone lazy, but I think it makes things harder and makes it more likely that they will put things off.
Anonymous
August 10th, 2015 8:23am
Anxiety can have different results and one of them might be a feeling of being paralyzed. Even though you want to get a lot of things done to improve your situation and to feel less anxious, it can result in the contrary: You might feel so overwhelmed by everything that you can't focus and work on anything.
The best thing in a situation like that is to try to stop your racing mind for a few moments, to breath and to refocus. Try to get a few small things done everyday and you will feel far more content at the end of the day, because you will be able to see results - even if they might be small - everyday.
Anxiety causes you to be many things. I wouldn't call it laziness, though. Anxiety, especially if constant, can cause fatigue, lack of motivation, and ultimately exhausted both emotionally and physically. I can say that through experience. x.x
No, it does not. Your anxiety may cause you to avoid situations that distress you, but you're not avoiding them because you're lazy, but because you don't want to feel the discomfort. People may think it's being lazy, but they don't know what's really going on.
I don't think it's fair to call it laziness. It's not you being lazy when you're depressed or anxious, it's you being depressed and anxious. If that makes sense. If you're depressed and can't get out of bed, you're not lazy, you're depressed. And it's not your fault. If you're too anxious to do anything that doesn't make you lazy it means you're in constant turmoil, pain and anxiety--and it's causing paralysis.
Anxiety is really hard, and can be very tiring. I wouldn't be so quick to put the laziness label on yourself - you may just be exhausted because managing everyday situations are more difficult for you than the average person who is not dealing with anxiety.
Anxiety can cause avoidance of that which causes us anxiety. This avoidance can be interpreted by others as "laziness" when that is really not the case. Explaining to others about your anxiety, what you are going through and how it affects your life may help others see you in a different light and be more understanding towards you.
I myself tend to feel so overwhelmed when I'm having high anxiety that I can't seem to do much more than try and keep it together. If it happens occasionally I try not to beat myself up about it and let myself have a "lazy" day and try to refocus the following day. If it becomes a pattern I sometimes have to force myself to break the cycle, letting it drag on does more harm than good. I feel more at peace when I have accomplished a task, even something small.
Your anxiety can come in the form of perfectionism, where you are afraid to mess up. Sometimes, this can cause you to feel overwhelmed and avoid doing such tasks altogether, because you can't mess up if you don't do it. At worst anxiety can also just make it hard to function generally because your mind is so preoccupied with worrying it can't cope with everyday life.
If im anxious that i wont get something done perfect i will procrastinate until it is too late and then get even more anxious because ill have no time. Stating that my procrastination is labeled as being lazy more often than not then yes. It does cause me to be lazy.
No, absolutely not. From my experience, anxiety causes you to be tired: right now I am so exhausted from the medication and from the constant worrying. It makes you drained, and you have to listen to your body, you are not lazy.
As someone who suffers from Social Anxiety and Panic Attacks, I believe Anxiety doesn't make you lazy. Have you ever felt exhausted of being in a pressuring situation? For people like ourselves, we feel this a lot don't we? I feel we are just too emotionally tired to really do many things. Of course, it won't last forever :)
I wouldn't say it causes you to be lazy, in my case I cannot think about anything but what is going on in my mind, if this is the same for you, then how can it be laziness when your mind is working overtime? Being lazy is choosing not to do things because you simply can't be bothered doing them, a lot of people with anxiety avoid doing things because they are already dealing with so much internally. Not everyone can concerntrate on doing things they enjoy, or things that need to be done when anxious.
I think that depends, does your anxiety cause you to stay inside? Are you afraid to do things? Social and anxiety caused by certain things may make you feel like you are lazy.
Anonymous
May 22nd, 2017 5:43am
No. Being unable to do things because of anxiety or illness and being lazy is not the same thing. The fact that you are anxious about not being productive shows that you have a good work ethic and aren't lazy. You just need some recovery time.
Anonymous
August 16th, 2016 7:13am
I don't think that lazy would be the right word to describe it, but anxiety can cause someone to be so anxious and worried about situations that they then don't want to do anything.
Anonymous
February 12th, 2018 10:13pm
Yes , because when aperson is extremly anxious asympathetic system which consume energy is stimulated as if it the body is in amiddle of emergency and thus you became exhuasted and your brain is working expecting the worse and you can not get enough of deep sleep and you haven't enough energy and you feel lazy
Anonymous
June 17th, 2015 2:22pm
Anxiety does not cause you to be lazy. It just makes you feel void of doing anything even if it is as simple as drinking water. Being lazy is not the perfect word for people going through Anxiety. Afterall you dont opt to be lazy
I don't think so. Your anxiety might be paralyzing from time to time, but what is your heart doing? What is your brain doing? You're looking for a way forward, or out, or through. As long as you feel like you're doing the best you can in that moment, there is no reason to beat yourself up for being "lazy".
Anxiety can cause a person to shut down, both physically and mentally. And while you may just want to stay in bed all day, it really benefits to get up and do fun stuff. Easier said than done, I know. While it does make you feel better to unwind and take it easy, exercise and enjoying fun activities has been proven to lower stress levels. Even if it's just for a short time, getting up and having fun will benefit you greatly!
From my personal experience, anxiety can cause someone to fill fatigue and to some fatigue my look like you are being lazy. However fatigue is a hole other medical symptom in it's self. So I can understand why someone might think that there anxiety could cause them to be lazy. I do understand that the higher someone's anxiety is the more fatigue they can become. One of the ways I have dealt with anxiety, is by doing some breathing exercises. I also know that the breathing exercises don't work for everyone. You just try different techniques until you find one that works for you.
I don't think it's really laziness, more avoidance. Anxiety can cause you to avoid the things that give you anxiety and if that is something important it can look like laziness to others. You avoid the things that you are supposed to be doing like chores because they give you anxiety. And no one wants to feel anxious, right? So, you chose to put off whatever it is you are supposed to be doing or you decide to not do it at all. People who don't know what anxiety is or that you have it might think you are being lazy. You can try to explain it to them, but don't use it as an excuse. Try and do it despite your anxiety (as long as it's not something dangerous of course)
Anxiety most definitely make somebody lazy. Anxiety can tear you down and make you believe you're not capable of anything. I used to beat myself up over my laziness and it just made it worse. Yes is the answer for me.
No, but for me it causes me to be unfocused. I have a hard time keeping on point with things I need to get finished in favor of things I find that help me ease my anxiety to manageable levels.
So lazy no.. but unfocused yes.
Anxiety does not cause someone to be lazy. It can be misinterpreted as laziness but in reality it could be a mixture of emotions contributing to a person feeling too overwhelmed to do anything. This can lead to people being unproductive but not lazy. When people with anxiety worry about a situation or task, they often put off the task until the last moment to avoid the task and the anxiety it causes.
Anxiety can often leave you discouraged from completing things that you normally would. This does not make you lazy. You may just need an extra push or guidance once in a while to help you through it.
Anonymous
August 10th, 2020 2:59am
No. Not lazy. Anxiety can make it harder to do things which creates the domino effect to not do things. Maybe you don’t want to do things because of your anxiety now? However, it’s your brain just fighting this losing battle but I understand how it can feel lazy due to not doing certain activities/etc. for example, I just get anxiety sometimes with taking walks due to my neighbors possibly judging how I look! Crazy and stupid but boils into trauma. However, there are days were I do face it and take that darn walk. But it’s okay If there are days you can’t. No, not laziness.
Anonymous
December 15th, 2015 6:43am
anxiety for me can lead to ultimate depression. I would just lay in bed or not do anything. then I would start going to bed early and take my nighttime meds. the next day, I dealt with it all over again. I started a new med called buspirone, and then started gaining energy and got out and did different things. I also met new people, and cut out the bad things in my life.
Anxiety does not cause you to be lazy. It just makes you feel void of doing anything even if it is as simple as drinking water. Being lazy is not the perfect word for people going through Anxiety. Afterall you dont opt to be lazyAnxiety and laziness seem unseemly because social pressure tells us it’s not okay to be lazy -- or anxious. We tend to value productivity and activity – if we don’t get as much out of the day as we can, we can be looked down upon. However, anxiety and laziness can go together, and it's okay to be lazy when you're anxious.
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