Do you ever feel stuck in couch potato land? Like you’re in a laziness rut and just can’t seem to get moving? If you have, great - you’re human! (If you haven’t - I’m concerned. Please have that looked at.)

Laziness is a heaviness, a stuck feeling that prevents us from getting work done. And it often does not feel good, especially if we have work that needs doing (like dishes, paperwork, shopping...anything at all).

It’s closely related to procrastination, but different. Procrastination is putting off specific tasks, while laziness is a general “disinclination to activity or exertion” (dictionary). It’s when the concept of any work at all seems like a punishment, and the couch is so comfortable.

Here’s one solution: Get moving. Do one action, however small.

Sounds too simple, right? Let me explain.

Laziness is like inertia - objects in motion tend to stay in motion, and objects at rest tend to stay at rest. The more you stay on the couch, the more you want to stay on the couch. The more productive you are, the more productive you want to be.

I’ve used this idea a lot myself. If I’m at the office and not in the mood of paperwork, I’ll take a walk around the block. If there’s a huge cleanup job to do, but I can’t bring myself to do it, I’ll do something smaller, like wash a few dishes. Once I get started, it’s easier to continue.

Give it a try. Remember, the key is to change the dynamic from being at rest to being in motion. When you’re feeling lazy, the last thing you want to do is, well, anything at all. So start small. Get that blood flowing. Believe in the process. You’ll be out of your rut in no time at all.

Shimmy Feintuch, LCSW CASAC-G maintains a private practice in Brooklyn, NY, and Washington Heights, NYC, with specialties in addictions and anxiety. He is also an Adjunct Professor at the Wurzweiler School of Social Work at Yeshiva University. Contact: (530) 334-6882 or shimmyfeintuch@gmail.com. 

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