One of my biggest causes of stress is procrastination. I'm a fairly busy person, so there's always something I could be doing -- which makes it easy to put off the less-desirable tasks until they have to get done...or else.

But do those things really "have to" get accomplished?

Apparently, using that kind of language -- even in my thoughts -- may be part of what's causing my procrastination in the first place.

According to Litemind, "we engage in mental dialogs with ourselves all the time," and those of us that procrastinate try and force ourselves into action by thinking we "have to" go to the dentist, or fill out tax forms, or do whatever unpleasant activity we've been avoiding.

However, instead of helping motivating us, language like this is actually counter-productive, as inherent in "have to" statements are other messages, like "I don't want to do it," or "they're making me do it" -- both of which are detrimental.

Instead, Litemind recommends giving yourself the power of choice -- accepting that, on some level, you're choosing to do everything (even avoiding trouble with the government by paying your taxes on time). So, next time, try "I choose to" as opposed to "I have to" and see if makes those chores a little less oppressive.