You’re Not Lazy, Your Mind is Just Very Good at This

Procrastinating, postponing and delaying, Taking my thoughts too seriously

I’m back from a mini-break!

Every two weeks, I’ll bring you compassionate, evidence-based skills, based on Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, to help you stop ‘playing-it-safe’ and start doing what truly matters to you!

Let’s retire the word “lazy.”

In today’s 10-min episode of the Playing-It-Safe Podcast, I break down exactly why the lazy label is sabotaging you.

If you have been calling yourself lazy for years, this episode is for you.

Show notes with time-stamps

0:00 The “lazy” client who wasn’t actually lazy
1:26 Playing-it-safe behavior #1: accepting negative stories about yourself
2:19 Martin Seligman’s research on learned helplessness
2:46 Paul Gilbert’s compassion-focused therapy & the threat response
3:08 Why psychological flexibility matters
3:47 Listener story from episode 93 on procrastination
4:18 The “Life Audit” exercise (from The ACT Workbook for the Anxious Procrastinator)
5:48 Arye Kruglanski’s research on values-driven action
6:27 Dr. Z’s personal story of calling herself lazy
7:07 This week’s challenge: notice and name the story

Listen Here

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And if you want to go deeper on your specific procrastination patterns, my free Procrastination Webinar is in the show notes.

Learn research-based skills and actionable steps to make better decisions, adjust to uncertain situations, make bold moves, & do more of what matters to you.

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About Dr. Z.

I’m originally from Bolivia, South America, and am a psychologist by training. I’m formally trained in empirically supported treatments, and when I say “formally,” I mean that since 2004 I have received intensive training in them, particularly in Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) and Cognitive Behavior Therapy (CBT). 

Over the past 18 years, I have created resources for and worked with overthinkers and overachievers dealing with all types of anxiety-related struggles: perfectionism, procrastination, productivity anxiety, uncertainty intolerance, indecision, impostor phenomenon, overthinking, phobias, rumination, panic, worry and obsessive-compulsive disorder. I absolutely love my job!

In 2019, I was nominated as a fellow by the Association for Contextual Behavioral Science because of my contributions related to the applications of ACT for anxiety-based struggles. I’m the author of seven books and the co-author of three (see the section on previously written books).

I’m the founder and director of the East Bay Behavior Therapy Center, a boutique private center in the San Francisco Bay Area that offers therapy and coaching for anyone experiencing anxiety-based struggles.

In 2023, I gave a TEDx talk, “Stop playing-it-safe and start living” that has more than 264K downloads.

While I’m a psychologist by training and science-based by passion, my style is jargon-free, accessible, caring, and lighthearted; teaching ACT skills doesn’t have to be boring or inaccessible, so I do my best to make every skill I teach—in any format—as engaging as possible. 

I believe that learning to navigate anxiety-based reactions is one of the key skills of the 21st century, and I’m passionate about it.

I'm passionate about disseminating ACT skills for anxiety-based struggles.

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