Difficult Thoughts & Emotions: How to Overcome Them
- For many of us, the temptation is to push this thought away and avoid it.
- Russ Harris outlined in his book The Happiness Trap that experiential avoidance contributes to anxiety, depression, and numerous other mental health challenges; the harder one tries to avoid...
- The simple answer is that difficult feelings and thoughts become intensified the more we try to push them away.
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Experiential Avoidance: Why trying to Suppress Thoughts Can Backfire
What is Experiential Avoidance?
An uncomfortable or unpleasant thought pops into our minds. What do we do? For many of us, the temptation is to push this thought away and avoid it. In psychology, this is called experiential avoidance. Trouble is, this experiential avoidance may seem helpful in the moment, but research shows that continuous avoidance of uncomfortable or upsetting thoughts can actually increase our anxiety and distress.
Indeed, Dr. Russ Harris outlined in his book The Happiness Trap that experiential avoidance contributes to anxiety, depression, and numerous other mental health challenges; the harder one tries to avoid the uncomfortable thoughts and feelings, the “more bad feelings we create.”
Why Does Avoidance Intensify Feelings?
The simple answer is that difficult feelings and thoughts become intensified the more we try to push them away. this is frequently enough due to a phenomenon called thought suppression, where the very act of trying *not* to think about somthing makes it more prominent in our minds. its like telling someone not to think of a pink elephant – the image immediately comes to mind.
Such as, if we are very upset about something and we go and try to eat a bucket of ice cream, we may not really even enjoy this ice cream and, may continue to feel the intense pain without a clear way out. or we may enjoy the ice cream and still have unresolved thoughts and feelings,with possibly an added layer of guilt over eating the bucket of ice cream.
Harry Potter fans may appreciate the Devil’s Snare as a metaphor for experiential avoidance – the more you struggle, the more trapped you become.
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The Impact of Experiential Avoidance: A Deeper Look
Experiential avoidance isn’t just about fleeting discomfort.It can have significant long-term consequences for mental and physical health.Hear’s a breakdown of some key areas affected:
| Area | Impact of Experiential Avoidance |
|---|---|
| Anxiety Disorders | Increased severity and frequency of panic attacks, generalized anxiety, and social anxiety. |
| Depression | Prolonged sadness, hopelessness, and difficulty experiencing pleasure. |