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BRAIN
Perhaps that long-put-off project
just popped into your head. Or
maybe it’s actually due – now. Either
way, your brain’s fight-or-flight
centre, the amygdala, hollers to the
hypothalamus that there’s a threat.
The hypothalamus then sends
yo u r b o d y i n to b at tl e (o r
bolt) mode, commanding
your nervous and
endocrine systems
to r a m p u p th e i r
activity. Chronic
procrastinator?
Your amygdala
may never rest at
all, keeping you ever
ready to respond to
the next perceived danger.2
PITUITARY GLAND
Better known as the gland
that makes you grow, the
pituitary sends out messenger
hormones, known as ACTH and
TTH, to marshal the rest of your
stress response. At the same time,
a hormone called vasopressin
tells your body to hoard water and
increase blood volume.HOW PROCRASTINATION IS KILLING YOU
Dr Fuschia Sirois, who studies procrastination at the University of
Sheffield, unravels the double whammy of anticipatory anxiety
and panic that comes from avoidance behaviour3
THYROID GLAND
The arrival of TTH tells your
thyroid gland to pump out (you
guessed it) thyroid hormones. They in
turn stoke your metabolism, causing
your heart rate and blood pressure to
shoot up.104 APRIL 2016WORDS: LILA BATTIS; ILLUSTRATION: FORMA & CO