Avoidance Coping & The Anxiety Cycle
For anyone who has experienced anxiety, or who may have a loved-one who struggles with anxiety, you are likely familiar with the tendency to avoid certain people, places, or situations which have led to feelings of anxiety in the past.
This tendency is called avoidance coping and there is a reason why it is such a popular. go-to strategy. Simply put, when we avoid our anxiety triggers, that eliminates the anxiety we feel towards that trigger…
…at least in the short run.
The problem with this strategy is that the relief we experience from avoidance coping is not only short lived, but this practice is actively leading to increased anxiety in the future.
Here’s a breakdown of how this process works, and what we can do about it to diminish future anxiety.
How Anxiety Works
Our incredible brain learns through experiences, and is constantly on the look out for possible dangers to us. Anytime it perceives a danger, our protective response get’s switched on, leading to feelings of anxiety.
What Happens During Avoidance Coping
In essence, when we avoid certain anxiety triggers, we are sending a message to our brain saying, “Yep, that’s dangerous”. Each time we do this, our brain takes that message to mean we need more protecting from it. This means that avoidance is actually leading to stronger anxiety in the future.
How To Overcome Avoidance Coping
In order to overcome avoidance coping, we essentially need to increase our tolerance to the discomfort anxiety brings with it. While this is difficult work, there are many simple ways we can practice this in daily life. This video shares a highly effective technique to do just that.
