Labeling yourself as 'lazy' is a moral judgment that rarely helps. Often the truth is a feedback loop: shame leads to avoidance, avoidance produces smaller results, and the results intensify shame. That loop is what feels like laziness.
Identify the loop. Notice when guilt rises and what follows. Where does the pattern begin? Often it's a critical internal voice that triggers the cascade.
Interrupt the loop with compassion and tiny action. Replace global demands with micro-commitments. When shame appears, say to yourself: "I noticed shame — I'll do one small thing." The goal is a reset, not perfection.
Change the narratives about worth. Worthiness motivates care; shame motivates hiding. Practice naming achievements, however small, and track them. Over time, the accumulation of small wins shifts how your system interprets effort and rest.
You're not lazy — your system learned a survival strategy that no longer serves you. With attention and purposeful rewiring, you can short-circuit the loop and reclaim forward motion.