Modern people have to constantly make choices, make decisions, move forward in developing a career, personal relationships, and self-development. However, people often put off long-awaited changes and important steps, making excuses for various reasons. Psychologists call this phenomenon “delayed life syndrome.” What is its essence? A person constantly finds excuses not to change the usual course of life, not to take responsibility for building the desired future. “Now is not the time,” “I’m not ready yet,” “Circumstances are getting in the way” - these and similar phrases become excuses that hide the fear of difficulties, failures, and the need to get out of your comfort zone. The reasons for this behavior may be rooted in perfectionism and low self-esteem , negative childhood experiences, and sometimes people simply do not know how to set goals and consistently move towards them. As a result, life proceeds sluggishly, without bright events and real achievements. We all wait, wait, wait for the right moment, and years are spent on fruitless thoughts and empty dreams. Let's consider a case from practice. A 29-year-old client complained of general dissatisfaction with life, although outwardly everything was fine with her: work, income, health, such an ideal façade. It turned out that for many years she had been postponing self-realization in personal relationships and career under various pretexts. The girl avoided important decisions related to serious changes in her lifestyle. In the depths of her soul, she dreamed of marriage, her own business, but did nothing for it because of fears and doubts. Often, deferred life syndrome develops gradually, almost imperceptibly for the person himself. First he puts off one important decision, then another. Over time, indecision becomes a stable habit, a kind of procrastination at the level of life goals and values. People seem to get stuck in Hamlet’s vacillation between “to be or not to be”: they ponder prospects for years, but do not take on anything concrete. As a result, by the age of 30-40, a whole heap of missed opportunities can accumulate, and while we are young, we still think that there are so many There's still time ahead of us, we'll definitely make it in time. But when faced with reality, we experience a chronic feeling of dissatisfaction, despondency, and loss of meaning in life. A person becomes disappointed in himself, loses valuable connections and opportunities for self-realization. It is very difficult to overcome such a condition; serious psychotherapeutic work is often required. Therefore, it is important to recognize the symptoms of delayed life syndrome in time and take action. It is necessary to analyze the true reasons for avoiding change: fears, attitudes, goal-setting skills. It is necessary to form a realistic worldview, learn to set specific goals and translate them into actions through methods of increasing self-esteem, working with values, and developing motivation. It is also advisable to learn to set priorities and move forward gradually, without getting entangled in grandiose plans. Life is too short to put it off until later. Decisiveness and self-responsibility are necessary qualities for self-realization in any field. By overcoming the deferred life syndrome, we gain the freedom to control our destiny and make our dreams come true.