4 Eye-Opening Ways Procrastination is Hindering Your Pelvic Health + How to [Easily] Start Your Healing Journey Today

If there was an award for how long a box of Goodwill items can sit by the front door or how large a pile of (clean) laundry can grow on the bedroom floor, I might not win the gold but mayyyyyy qualify for honorable mention. I mean…I’m an overall go-getter kinda gal, but there’s some things I just ~hate~ to do and certain chores that literally make anything/everything else seems like a more worthy endeavor.

I’m sure you have your thing(s) too – those rather-not-do’s that “mysteriously” jump from one day’s or week’s or even month’s to-do list to another, not necessarily because they’re hard (although they might be), but because they’re inconvenient, out of the way, or take that one tool or extra time you just don’t have.

This, my friend, is what Webster defines as procrastination. Stalling, hesitating, delaying, dilly-dallying— call it what you will, but putting off the “musts”, “shoulds”, and “inevitables” rarely turns out well. Especially when it comes to our health.

Even as a healthcare provider, I’m not immune to this phenomenon as I too have been known to personally push my needs to the right. If “it’s not that bad”, “I don’t have time” or “I don’t know where to start” sound familiar, it’s because we’ve alllllllll made those excuses before. Every one of us.

I’ve seen and lived the repercussions of procrastinating the necessary steps towards healing and wellness, both as the one dishing the recommendations and the patient needing them. So let me tell you why NOW (and by now I mean…today) is the perfect time to start acting on your body’s needs, no matter what they are. I’m especially passionate about pelvic health and issues like urine leakage, pelvic pain, pain with intercourse, prolapse and constipation, but these principles can be applied to nearly any physical, mental, or emotional concern.

Your health should be a priority. You are worth the time, energy, and resources to make it so. Here’s why—

THINGS ONLY GET WORSE

I hate to be a Debbie Downer, but sometimes I’ve gotta tell it to ya straight. If there’s something wrong in the body, it will find a way to let you know…that’s what symptoms are. And if we don’t listen to and act on those warnings, the body (unfortunately) won’t simply give up on the message and just “make do”. It will keep sending memos, notes, emails, letters, packages, and eventually shoot flares into the night until you get the hint and take care of the problem.

A little bit of dribbling with a sneeze turns into a cross your legs (and fingers) event where you hope for the best and pray you packed an extra pair of pants in your car. A wad of toilet paper becomes a pantiiner which becomes a thick, uncomfortable, and ridiculously expensive pad you’d rather not wear. “I can tolerate it” pain with intercourse turns into an activity you enjoyed with your partner once upon a time but now you avoid it at all costs. And so on.

I’ve seen this with hormones and the endocrine system, aches and pains and the musculoskeletal system, high blood pressure and the cardiovascular system, anxiety and depression, and more.

Aaaaaaand this doesn’t happen quickly. Nope…these progressions are slow, often at an undetectable, barely noticeable pace, until you look back months or years and realize how bad it’s become.

When it comes to the body (and most things in life, if I’m being honest), you get out what you put in. You can’t just wish upon a star for things get better on their own. Listening and learning, action and proactivity are key as soon as you identify a problem, because it will only worsen down the road.

HEALING BECOMES HARDER

Not only do issues get worse over time, but they also seem to become proportionately harder to fix. The body’s great at offsetting, making do, keeping on and carrying on with life, but those compensations turn into adaptions and habits that aren’t always ideal. The body often does what’s easy and most energy efficient, not what’s best, and the longer you “deal”, the more difficult it is to address.

I always ask my patients how long they’ve had a problem, because it typically gives me an indication and realistic expectation for how long they’ll take to heal. And while everyone’s different and I can’t speak in absolute terms, it ~almost~ always turns out that the longer someone’s had a problem, the slower they’ll see results.

Many of us try to downplay it, grin and bear it, and hope for the best, and most can do this successfully for…a while. But buying time and delaying the inevitable, watching symptoms come and go and come again (maybe more than once) always ends up costing more in the long run.

Nothing makes me happier than a patient who comes in a few weeks or months into a problem, or best-case scenario – before the problem even starts to proactively prevent it in the first place. All of the above creates an easier path for everyone involved and I’ve never had someone say they wish they waited longer to take action.

DON’T FORGET FUTURE YOU

Many people make the mistake of living in the moment, only seeing their current health circumstances, and fail to consider how procrastination will affect their future selves. Based on the facts that health problems tend to get worse and harder to fix with time, stalling only makes things more difficult down the road.

STOP + ASK YOURSELF [THESE] QUESTIONS:

How do I want to feel five years from now, physically, mentally, and emotionally?
Would I be happy/content/at peace if I still had this problem in ten years?
What do I want to be able to do 15 years from now?
Would the best version of me have this issue?

If you don’t like the answers to those questions, it’s time to give past you a little grace, future you a little love, and current you a gentle nudge to get movin’. Time will fly and days will become weeks will become months will become years will become your life whether you intentionally stop and care for yourself or not.

You get to control the quality of that time and you’re worth the bit of effort it takes to make it enjoyable and meaningful. You and those you love don’t have time to waste.

WAITING COSTS MORE

Many people put off addressing their health issues because of the cost. Insurance and copays, online courses and specialty services, medications and supplements…they’re not cheap. But what if I told you putting [it] off is often more expensive? Let’s take incontinence for example. There’s a lot that goes into managing urine leakage and the implications of delaying an issue that’s actually quite easy to address is alarming–

2 high absorbency pads per day: $60/month
7 pairs of leak-proof underwear: $175
1 bladder sling surgery (after average insurance coverage): $6,000

And we haven’t even touched the mental and emotional costs of dealing with health issues day in and day out.

Procrastination has an overhead too, but there’s no relief in symptoms or resolution of problems in exchange for your time, energy, and money spent waiting. It’s resources down the drain with your issues still standing next to you by the kitchen sink. You decide what you do with your precious time and hard-earned dollars, and it may be worth inventorying where they’re really going.

SO…HOW TO MAKE YOUR HEALTH A PRIORITY

Procrastination is not in your health’s best interest, and no matter what you’re dealing with, now (like ~right~ now) is the perfect time to take action. But if you don’t quite know where or how to start to see the most success, I have a few steps that may help—

1. Get real about the impacts of not doing it. Review the points above and take a serious look at where your health is. Acknowledge where you were, where you are, where you’re headed, and what your quality of life will look like if you don’t make a change.

2. Tell someone about your issues. Whether it’s a family member, friend, or coworker, sometimes just knowing you have support and accountability in your corner holding you accountable and cheering you on can make all the difference. You also never know who around you has dealt with the same thing and may be able to offer guidance.

3. Do your research. Hop on good ol’ Google and type your issues or symptoms into the search bar (PS- Pinterest can be surprisingly helpful here too!). Now…don’t go crazy and find yourself in a spiral of doom and gloom, but do become educated on and empowered by the options and opinions out there.

4. Take action and stay consistent. Pick the route of care or treatment that seems most aligned with your needs. I’m a firm believer that Y-O-U know your body better than anyone else, so follow your intuition. Remain consistent with your action steps (this is the only way you’ll know if they’re working) and don’t be afraid to ask questions and advocate for yourself along the way.

“Why didn’t I do this sooner!?” is a common phrases I hear in my office, and I often respond with that half smile, eyebrow raise, and somewhat sassy shrug because I don’t know why any of us (again…myself included) don’t have HEALTH written in big, bold letters and highlighted in yellow at the top of our priority lists.

So what I have to say is this…Make the appointment. Buy the supplement. Join the online course. Get the gym membership. You are worth it, it’s never too late, and there’s no time like the present to make your health a priority.

Procrastination can get the best of us (says the girl who ~seriously~ needs to go to Goodwill this weekend) and sometimes it’s ok to let tasks slide from one week to the next. But your health? ~Everything~ halts when your body has reached that “enough is enough” breaking point, so don’t wait to get there.

What health issue (“big” or “small”) have you been meaning to tackle? If you’re willing to share I’d love to know in the comments, bonus if you want to shamelessly brag about the action step you plan to take this week to get yourself closer to accomplishing it. Then allow me and those commenting alongside you to cheer you on and keep you accountable as you work towards your goals.

We’re all doing the best we can in the season we’re in, but there’s no time like the present to put a spotlight on your health, and I can’t wait to hear what comes of your proactivity.

– Amanda

PS- If you’re here looking for answers for pelvic health issues (hiiiiiii, btw!) and are ready to finally take the leap, this five-day email challenge is the perfect place to begin. Five days, five emails filled with totally-doable, ridiculously-realistic, why-didn’t-I-think-of-that action items that address leakage, pelvic pain, prolapse, constipation, and more. This is the “why didn’t my mom teach me this!?” stuff that serves as the best first step to healing.

Disclaimer: The content provided here does not constitute medical advice, nor is it a substitute for personalized healthcare. If you have concerns about a medical condition, diagnosis, or treatment, you should consult with a licensed healthcare professional.