Is it okay to avoid situations that make me anxious, or is that giving up to it?
563 Answers
Moderated by Smita Joshi, BA Psychology / MA / Advanced EFT Practitioner
Updated: Apr 12, 2022
SerialThinker
on
Sep 4, 2019
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There isnt a general rule for it. There are situations where staying in could be more harmful to give them a chance. But if your wisdom tells you that these situations are not harmful in general, you can start getting out out there little by little, starting by occasions where you feel less anxious than more. Then you can evaluate how you would respond by time. If your feeling starts to fade away as you get used to the situation, then youve done a good job getting out of your comfort zone, if you feel worse as the time goes by, you can consult someone to see where the problem is or simply stay away from it.
Anonymous
on
Sep 4, 2019
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Delaying won't solve this issue by definition. But if avoiding is the solution then it may be a good way as long as you're not hurting anyone else (and making more problems).
lotuslistener22
on
Oct 5, 2020
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Whatever you feel would benefit you the most at the time is what is okay. If avoiding the situation will be more beneficial, than try that. If facing the situation head-on will be more beneficial than try that. You know you best. If avoiding it at that moment protects your peace, then I wouldn't consider it to be giving up. You are doing your best. Taking things day by day is key. Just because you avoid a situation one day does not mean you need to avoid it the next. Be proud of yourself for trying, regardless of the continuity.
Anonymous
on
Oct 13, 2020
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I think it is okay to avoid situations that make you anxious because it is you taking care of your mental health. I have anxiety and know that coffee can trigger my anxiety therefore I try and stay away from it. If I know that really big family events can make me feel really anxious and will just result in me going and feeling horrible then I won't go. It is not beneficial for me to go, feel horrible and have everyone ask me if I am okay. I do not want to willingly put myself in a situation I am not comfortable in and will put me in a worse mental state.
SimpleSunflower12
on
Dec 8, 2020
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It is absolutely okay to avoid some situations that you feel are not good for you. Mental health is extremely important, and often overlooked. But do make sure that you’re not avoiding situations just because you can. Weigh out the pros and cons, and see if engaging in the situation would be harmful to you, or if you’re avoiding it based off fear alone. If it’s something you need to do, work through it with calming exercises to keep your anxiety down. You can breathing techniques or working through it step by step in your mind to help alleviate the stress. Hope this helps!
hopezzy
on
Apr 12, 2022
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I think working on them one step at a time suits it better. Because sometimes we can't completely avoid the situation and sometimes we can't face it all by ourselves. So if it's too much it's good to avoid them at the beginning and slowly start working on them. It depends on the situation and it's okay for one to avoid or confront it according to the circumstance. For example, if I am a little anxious about an exam it's not a good idea to avoid it I can face them and see how it goes. But I am anxious about big crowds I can not dive into big crowds all in and have the worst anxiety I can avoid them and start little from small groups of familiar people and then try again. I hope this helps act according to the crisis
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