If you are tired of feeling stuck, it’s time to take a closer look at how you’re coping with current discomfort when it shows up in your life. There are a lot of ways we can feel uncomfortable. Stress, worry, fear, uncertainty, conflict, change. They all can feel incredibly uncomfortable. When life throws you moments where you feel uncomfortable, are you addressing those issues head on or are you avoiding them?
Avoidance always feels good in the moment. It will always feel easier to not talk about how you’re feeling, broach difficult conversations, set boundaries, and address issues. At least initially and in the moment. However, these feelings are very short lived. While it can feel harder initially to broach tough conversations and put ourselves out there emotionally, it is the better choice long-term.
When you intentionally avoid discomfort, you are getting immediate relief with long-term stress added to the situation. If you using avoidance in any area of your life, you are also likely:
- Minimizing your pain
- Pretending that you’re fine
- Invalidating your own wants and needs
- Putting other people first
- Creating long-term stress for yourself
- Isolating yourself
- Increasing potential conflict in the future
Avoidance can lead to a long list of problems in every area of your life. If you want to feel unstuck and start feeling happier, healthier, and more supported, it’s important to embrace discomfort. Feeling uncomfortable is not a bad thing, it’s just uncomfortable. Here are some common ways avoidance may be showing up in your life:
- You avoid talking about feelings
- You avoid anything that could cause tension or conflict
- You avoid things in hopes that will prevent certain outcomes
- You are passive in communication and minimize your own feelings and needsWomen
- You have become a people pleaser
- You distract yourself instead of addressing issues or feelings
- You put things off or find excuses why you can’t do something
- You struggle with follow-through
To stop using avoidance, it’s important to actively take steps to confront and tackle issues head on. Instead of shying away from discomfort, work through it. Talk about your feelings. Open up to others. Have hard conversations. Take the risk. I know it’s hard initially, but you can do hard things. And if you do, you can begin to move forward and live the life you want to live. And remember, feeling uncomfortable is temporary. If you put yourself out there and talk about hard things or push through and try hard things, the uncomfortable feelings that arise are going to be temporary. They will not last, and instead, you are able to tackle problems, make change, and move forward.
If you’re struggling with using avoidance and need more support working through this and specific pain points in your life, reach out today to learn how I can help. You do not have to continue to feel this way. I have helped many women learn to tackle problems and goals head on, and I can help you do the same.