Are You Avoiding Your Emotions?

Ask a Therapist Coping
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Hi everyone!

You know that feeling when something’s bugging you, but instead of dealing with it, you scroll TikTok for hours or keep yourself super busy? That’s called emotional avoidance—basically dodging feelings like sadness, anger, or anxiety because they feel too uncomfortable to deal with.

It might feel like you’re handling it, but avoiding your emotions doesn’t make them go away. They kind of just hang out in the background, popping up in different ways—like overthinking, getting snappy, or feeling stuck.

But you know what? You can learn to handle your emotions without them taking over. Here’s how:

  • Put a name to it. Ask yourself, “What am I feeling right now?” Sometimes just labeling it—like “stressed” or “disappointed”—makes it feel less intense.
  • Don’t fight it. Let the feeling be there without judging it. It’s okay to feel sad or mad—it doesn’t make you weak.
  • Get curious. Think about why you’re feeling this way. What’s your emotion trying to tell you? Maybe you need a break, a conversation, or some time to think.

Feelings aren’t the enemy—they’re just signals from your brain trying to help you figure things out. Next time you feel yourself avoiding, try one of these steps instead :slight_smile:

Here’s something to reflect on today:
What’s something you do when you’re feeling overwhelmed—does it help, or does it just distract you? Share with us your thoughts!

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Hi everyone!

Facing your emotions doesn’t mean they’ll overwhelm you, it’s about learning to sit with them and process them in a healthy way.

Here are some ways to start:
:cyclone: Pause and check in. When you feel uneasy, ask yourself, “What’s going on inside?” Noticing is the first step.
:cyclone: Validate your experience. Instead of judging yourself for feeling a certain way, remind yourself: “It’s okay to feel this.” Every emotion has its place.
:cyclone: Start small. If sitting with a big emotion feels too hard, start with just 2 minutes. Breathe, notice it, and let it flow without trying to fix it right away.

Remember, emotions are like waves—they rise, peak, and fade. They’re not permanent, and you’re not powerless against them.

So, here’s a challenge for you:
Next time you catch yourself avoiding a feeling, pause and try one of these steps. Notice what happens. :ocean:

What’s one thing you’ve learned about dealing with emotions that’s been helpful for you? :speech_balloon:

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Hi im new. Emotional avoidance… Im the opp becos im more sensitive, even if i dw to ppl’s neg energies affect me :frowning: ive got immature old parent that dun care and just disrespects me. I felt so pissed

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I recently started talking therapy to better learn how to navigate my emotions, and I think this whole experience has been very enlightening for me cos I tend to avoid sitting with my emotions until I absolutely have to. But having someone to prompt and guide me as I uncomfortably think about and talk about my thoughts and feelings about different experiences really helped me to be less apprehensive about facing my emotions. It’s definitely hard, but I think I’m making progress and happy to share that here!

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