There was a time, a few months back, that I discovered that I was spending too much time on social media. But I brushed it aside, and even tried to give excuses that I was trying to keep up to the emerging trends of the era. However, after a while, I noticed that it was already starting to affect me negatively and even in my work. It prevented me from engaging in more productive activities. Then I had to confront the habit on time so that it would not go out of hand. I had to make a conscious choice to limit my time on social media and create a schedule for other things. Then I noticed that my productivity increased and I became better. If I had ignored it, it may have degenerated into something terrible. What you ignore today may limit you tomorrow.
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A lot of people think that avoidance can bring them peace of mind, but what they fail to understand is that in reality, avoidance can actually lead to a much bigger problem. The things you refuse to face today; like your responsibilities, your fears, your weaknesses, bad habits, difficult conversation, etc, may eventually grow so strong in the future that they may begin to control you and even determine your future. A lot of people are limited, not by some external forces, but by what they avoided in the past. Imagine in a farmland, and the farmer ignores the weeds growing up, before they know it, the weeds will outgrow the crops and choke them.
Avoidance may feel comfortable at the first, because it gives the feeling that you are escaping from pressure, from discomfort, or from temporary fear. For example; a student may delay studying because it feels stressful, or someone may avoid learning a skill because it looks difficult, or someone may ignore solving a problem at the onset because they think it does not matter. In the moment, they may feel that avoidance feels easier than taking actions.
It is worthy to note that avoiding or ignoring a problem does not make it to disappear on its own. In fact, instead of disappearing, it may even multiply in ways you may never expect, and it may even become worse. Imagine a student who avoids reading their books, they may think they are experiencing comfort, but they are already headed on the pathway of failure. Or someone who avoids managing money wisely may later find themself in financial stress. A person who avoids dealing with bad habits at the onset may eventually become controlled by the same bad habit. What was small in the past, if ignored, can become very big in the future.
Fear can make someone avoid things. For example, fear of rejection can make someone avoid taking necessary steps. But what you have to understand is that avoidance does not make the fear to go away, rather it consolidates it and even makes it to become strengthened. The more you avoid something out of fear, the stronger it will become in your mind. At the end of the day, the fear will become bigger then the actual challenge itself.
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Facing a problem early will oftentimes be better than waiting to deal with it later. It is easier to manage small issues than when they become too much or grown into major obstacles. For example, handling a difficult conversation that is difficult early can prevent a broken relationship. A bad habit that is addressed early will prevent future damages. Acting now will prevent future stress.
In order to overcome avoidance, there are things that you have to observe to do. Firstly, you have to honestly ask yourself what you are avoiding and why you are avoiding it. Sometimes, the simple truth you tell yourself can help you to identify the solution to a problem. Then the next one is to take a step. You may not solve the entire problem with the step, but it will definitely reduce your fears. More so, the more you face things, the more confident you become to even face more things.
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