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Anxiety and Avoidance






Now, in addition to feelings of anxiety (which probably goes without saying), one behavior that is common among all of the anxiety disorders is the tendency or desire to avoid the feared object, experience, or situation. And, as much as the desire to avoid unwanted or unpleasant experiences makes sense and is a natural response, avoidance is actually the primary way in which anxiety disorders have a negative impact on a person’s life. Specifically, anxiety and avoidance work together to form a vicious cycle that essentially traps a person. Let’s discuss how this happens.

Earlier, we talked about how people who struggle with anxiety are more likely to notice or focus their attention on the very things they’re afraid of in their internal (inside the body) or external (outside the body) environments. And if you think about it, this is actually something that can be protective. For example, if you are afraid of a dangerous object in your environment, it is probably in your best interest to make sure you keep an eye out for that object so that you can respond as quickly as possible when you see it. Unfortunately, however, this process also has its downside. That’s because the more we pay attention to or increase our awareness of feared objects that we could encounter, the more likely we are to find them and be affected by them. For example, if you pay attention to your heartbeat, you are more likely to notice normal fluctuations in its rhythm. For someone with an anxiety disorder, such as panic disorder, this will bring up considerable anxiety.

Now, once you have your attention focused on a feared object or sensation, what happens next? Well, most people have trouble redirecting their attention away from the feared object or sensation. Therefore, most people will then take steps to try to get away from whatever is making them anxious. For example, if whatever you are afraid of is in your external environment, you could leave the situation. Or, if what you fear is an internal sensation, such as a thought or a bodily sensation, you could try to do something to get rid of your anxiety and bring down your arousal. This is how anxiety disorders can wreak havoc in your life. It is really common for people with anxiety disorders to get caught up in a vicious cycle in which they automatically (that is, without thinking) bring their attention to feared objects and sensations, have difficulty redirecting that attention away from them, and then try to avoid them.

Although trying to avoid things that make you anxious may seem to make a lot of sense (because who would want to feel anxious if he didn’t have to?), one problem is that this is not actually possible. As you probably know, it is just not possible to avoid all anxiety-­provoking situations, especially those that occur within your body. As a result, people with anxiety disorders often develop extreme avoidance behaviors in their efforts to feel safe or escape their anxiety, such as drinking heavily or never leaving home. Another problem that comes up when people get stuck in this cycle is that the more you avoid something, the more you learn that what you are avoiding should be feared (or why else would you avoid it?). Therefore, avoiding things we are afraid of can actually cause us to fear them even more.

Another problem is that avoidance really works only in the short term. In the long term, avoidance can actually make anxiety worse. This behavior perpetuates the cycle of anxiety and avoidance, making it stronger and stronger, until life becomes all about trying to get rid of anxiety.


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