We all have things that we don't want to deal with - it's just part of life.
We hope that if we just ignore what's going on, our situation will somehow fix itself.
But, the reality is that if you avoid a problem or situation for too long, it frequently gets worse.
And, sometimes the cost of your avoidance can be way more than you ever imagined.
Let's take a look at some common areas where avoidance is used:

• Relationships - avoiding conversations because you expect them to bring strong response, emotion or conflict
• Financial - not looking atyour financial status, budgeting, spending habits because you know that area is out of control
• Health - postponing health care, denial of symptoms, not making time to eat right or exercise because you're afraid to take a real look at your current condition

Some of us are real good at avoiding; we can do it in such a way that we can almost hide it from ourselves (we don't even realize we're doing it) and others.
Here are a few tell-tale signs that you might be avoiding an issue or situation:

• Do you overcompensate in one area to avoid having to take action in another? (e.
  g.
  - you pour numerous extra hours into your work to avoid dealing with problems at home)
• Is your situation getting worse? Many problems compound or worsen with time (e.
  g.
  - not taking care of bills on time produces late fees or fines)
• Do you catch yourself minimizing? You tell yourself it's just procrastination and not really any big deal (e.
  g.
  - you say you'll take care of it next week, but you keep postponing it week after week)

Choosing not to deal with problems/situations wastes a lot of energy and it creates an ongoing level of inner turmoil and stress.
Just think, what if you could use the same amount of energy to actually deal with the problem as you're doing now just to avoid it.
Have it be done with, over, finished! Taking care of 'unfinished business' is so important if you want to feel good about your life.
It will positively influence how you feel about yourself.
That's right.
When you know you're avoiding something, you lose some respect for yourself.
So, how do you face whatever it is you've been avoiding? Here are some questions to ask yourself; take a few moments, pause from your busy day and take an honest look at your situation.
I hope you can find the answer you need to face what you've been avoiding, free up your energy and move on.

• What will help me move forward and take care of this?
• Do I need support? Would using outside resources help me take action?
• Do I just need to give myself a deadline?
• Do I just need to schedule in time for me to do it?

Avoidance doesn't have to keep you stressed or rob you of energy.
Action is a great way to get over avoidance.