Emotional Avoidance 2
Exploring What We Push Away
Emotional avoidance is the habit of trying to escape, suppress, numb, distract from, or control uncomfortable inner experiences. Sometimes that avoidance is obvious; other times it can look like staying endlessly busy, scrolling, overthinking, withdrawing, joking something away, fixing everyone else’s problems, or immediately trying to make a feeling disappear.
Choose one emotion you usually push away and give it a small, defined amount of space.
I am safe to feel what I feel. My emotions are valid, and I can face them with gentleness and curiosity.
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What emotions do I find myself avoiding most often?
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When I feel uncomfortable emotions coming up, what do I usually do instead?
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What am I afraid might happen if I actually sit with these feelings?
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How might these emotions be trying to communicate with me?
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What would it look like to create a safe, supportive way to feel and process these.
Emotions aren’t problems to be solved or obstacles to get past. They’re messengers. When we stop avoiding them, we give ourselves the chance to understand what we need, heal what we’ve been carrying, and move forward with more honesty and self-compassion.