TABLE 6.

Psychological issues of procrastination.

Theme	Subthemes	Characteristics	Example
Stress and anxiety
	Sleep and rest	Insomnia, tiredness, restlessness and exhaustion	“Difficulties sleeping, particularly with regard to falling asleep, but also waking up at night, often between 3 and 4 a.m.”
	Fear	Worry and panic	“Anxious about falling behind, not being able to succeed on my exams.”
	Cognitive load	Difficulties concentrating and remembering things	“Anxiety, worry, difficulties concentrating, and problems remembering things.”
	Performance	Performance anxiety and difficulties achieving high standards	“Anxiety preceding tests and exams that I wasn’t able to commit study hours toward.”
Depression	Self-criticism	Self-loathing, feelings of disappointment, and negative thoughts	“Self-loathing (pushing myself down, feel incapable of doing things, etc. Constantly comparing myself to others.”
	Remorse	Anger, frustration, and shame	“Anxiety, remorse, and shame that I continue to procrastinate even though I know it’s stupid.”
	Self-esteem	Feeling inadequate and loss of self-confidence	“Anxiety, disappointment, stress, fear, lower self-esteem, inadequate, not being smart enough, and that you’re not worthwhile.”
Other	Other	Eating disorders, compulsions, and social anxiety	“Panic, a mild form of self-harm, a general sense of disappointment which affects the way I perceive myself.”