Well, it's still not easy, but I'm so much more aware of it. Actually, I was aware of it, and rationally knew I was creating stress that could be avoided, but

Well, it's still not easy, but I'm so much more aware of it. Actually, I was aware of it, and rationally knew I was creating stress that could be avoided, but I persisted. What made it click in my situation was how my therapist explained it to me. Basically, he said that I was someone who needs a challenge. But, instead of reaching for something higher, I created negative challenges like taking on too much work, waiting until the last minute, purposefully antagonizing people, etc. There are many problems with that (and that's what made me internalize the knowledge that I should really stop doing this): - I cannot not meet these challenges. So the stress I put on myself was tremendous. - The reward is zero: I was doing what was expected. The cost to me was high, but the result was not better. I was literally digging a hole for myself and putting a lot of stress on me to make sure I'd get out of it. That explanation made me look out for behaviour that would put me back in that hole. I can't say I've succeeded all the time, but at least a lot more than before (where I did not even try to avoid it, but purposefully dug that hole). I recognize it when the thought of getting away with something creeps up. If that happens, I force myself to either not do what I was asked/wanted to do, or start working on it now and take pride in doing the best job I can by taking my time for it.