It is dangerous to avoid things. Many need to break the "Avoidance Behavior Cycle".
You may be asking yourself right now, first of all, What Is Avoidance Behavior?
Avoidance Behaviors are any behaviors people use to escape or distract themselves from difficult thoughts, feelings, and situations. Such as: avoiding job opportunities or career advancements, people, relationships, social gatherings, recreational activities, or family get-togethers.
People use avoidance as a natural coping mechanism for pain, trauma, and other mental health issues. Right here is where you may see yourself right now (if you are willing to admit it and not avoid it.) 😊
I've learned when people are depressed they really want to hear what is happening to them, They just need information.
What they are saying and what you are seeing matters to them, they want information on how to navigate what is actually going on in their life.
Most of them avoid the evitable because they have given up on hope and have become hopeless. They also may actually be dealing with depression.
One way depression can lock you in is, it deceives you into believing that nothing will help or that nothing helps, and that you have to feel better before you start doing things when actually you need to start doing things to feel better.
Your brain is just an organ in the body but you are not the thoughts it produces. You can use your brain to produce new thoughts and keep you from going inside of your head and getting lost in your fantasies. LEARN HOW TO THINK RIGHT.
God has given us a sound mind not a sound brain. You are not your thoughts. Your brain automatically provides thoughts. Some times you
May have crazy thoughts but they don't make you crazy.
Because of the wrong thoughts you have, it keeps you walking in avoidance and keep you from getting the help which you need.
Many do not know how to manage their emotions and manage them in a healthy way. And what is needed is communication and being willing to understand how you got to where you are emotionally.
Statements ppl make when you ask, "How are you doing? Their response is usually, I'm okay, I'm fine, I know you have alot to do so I didn't want to bother you" But what happens is that they leave saying within themselves, "They were so insensitive to me, they couldn't see or hear that I was crying for help?"
Many use this statement to avoid what they are actually dealing with. They create a lot of pain to themselves and others which they are experiencing at present.
-Avoidance decreases short-term anxiety and increases long-term anxiety.
-Avoidance behaviors can also wreak havoc in your life, forcing you to engage in other negative or maladaptive behaviors.
Here are some Avoidance Behaviors:
- Escapism ( many do this through misuse of things)
- Wishful thinking by fantasizing
- Burying emotions instead of processing them (regression not expression)
- Self-isolation(isolation from others, stay in one area constantly
- -Avoiding eye contact (something a lot of ppl do)
- Lowering the voice when someone suddenly shows up in their presence.
- Leaving gatherings early
- Making up excuses to avoid attending a social gathering
PAUSE! Does any of these sound like you yet?
- Chronic procrastination
- Canceling plans at the last minute
- Doing things at the last minute
- Not answering calls or texts
- Avoiding certain places at certain times
Avoidance behaviors requires you to be very open and honest with others, and yourself.
Consider asking yourself questions like this:
* Why am I avoiding this?
* How long do I plan to avoid?
* When was the last time I completed the behavior instead of avoiding it?
* How does my avoidance make me feel?
* How does my avoidance affect others?
* Whose idea was it for me to avoid?
So, what do you do? First, Develop coping skills and allow Holy Spirit to speak to you through scripture so that He can work on developing good character inside of you. And with this piece of information, start doing something to activate your behavior in the right way.
Have some spiritual disciplines (fasting, reading scripture, praying, and solitude with God to enhance your closeness to Him.
I hope that when you first started reading this, it didn't trigger you to AVOID READING IT!
SHALOM!
Apatlsmith
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