Reviewed by Dr. Kalman Khodik, PsyD, Licensed Psychologist (NY & NJ), Founder and Clinical Director
Anxiety is an essential part of the human experience. It heightens our awareness of potential dangers, prompting us to take necessary action to stay safe. Elevated stress levels when we merge into traffic on a busy highway help us be more alert. We might think that avoiding things that cause us anxiety would make us more relaxed, but the opposite is true. Avoidance makes us more anxious.
Avoidance behaviors can intensify anxiety
The edginess that anxiety brings can be useful, helping us rise to challenges. For example, feeling nervous before making a presentation might motivate us to prepare more thoroughly. In small doses, anxiety can be a powerful tool.
However, when anxiety lingers or interferes with our ability to complete everyday tasks or engage in activities we want to, it can become debilitating. When we adopt avoidance tactics to try and escape from an anxiety-provoking situation, we unintentionally reinforce the belief that the situation is dangerous or risky. Avoiding anxiety creates a negative loop where increased avoidance triggers elevated levels of anxiety the next time we face the situation.
Event
Anxiety
Avoidance
Temporary relief
Intensified anxiety
A situation is perceived as a threat or danger, triggering anxiety.
You become hyperaware of the anxiety and begin to avoid anxiety-provoking situations.
Avoidance delivers temporary relief, training your brain that avoidance is a good response, leading to increased avoidance over time.
Avoidance leads to lower confidence and a diminished sense of mastery, fueling more avoidance and exacerbating your anxiety.
You become more restricted, avoid more situations, and become increasingly isolated. This is the anxiety-avoidance cycle. 
Anxiety avoidance tends to get worse over time
To avoid feeling stressed or anxious, do you skip social occasions or avoid speaking up at work or school? These are examples of avoidance behaviors. Unfortunately, the short-term relief provided by avoidance behaviors comes at a cost: reinforcing anxiety in the long run. By avoiding anxiety-provoking situations — anything from going on a date to asking for a new project at work, to taking a plane — you are training your mind that these situations are dangerous.
The next time that the situation arises, your brain is going to present even greater resistance to taking part. You may go to greater lengths to avoid the trigger. Avoidance leads to isolation from relationships, exacerbates anxiety, is associated with depression, and can suck you into a downward spiral of difficult emotions and behaviors.
Breaking the cycle is possible
It is difficult to break the anxiety-avoidance cycle, but It is possible. Working with a therapist skilled in anxiety and avoidance behaviors can help you develop effective strategies to manage anxiety and regain confidence in facing life’s challenges.
Here are some steps to take that can help you break the cycle:
Step 1: recognize your avoidance patterns
Begin by identifying how avoidance shows up in your life. What situations do you steer clear of due to anxiety? What behaviors have you adopted to escape discomfort?
Step 2: Understand how avoidance fuels anxiety
Avoidance may offer short-term relief, but it ultimately reinforces and worsens anxiety over time. Gaining insight into this pattern can increase your motivation to break free from it.
Step 3: Challenge avoidance through exposure
A key evidence-based approach is exposure therapy, which involves gradually facing anxiety-provoking situations so your mind can relearn that they are not inherently dangerous.
Take the first step
If you are struggling with anxiety avoidance and are ready to take your life back, Avita PsyCare is here to help. Our compassionate team of experienced therapists specializes in anxiety treatment and can guide you toward lasting relief.
We’ll even match you with a therapist who fits your needs and takes your insurance, making it easier than ever to prioritize your mental health. Don’t wait—take the first step toward a calmer, more fulfilling life by contacting us. Reach out today to schedule your free consultation.
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References and further reading
Bennett, M.P., Roche, B., Dymond, S., Baeyens, F., Vervliet, B., & Hermans, D. (2020). Transitions from avoidance: Reinforcing competing behaviours reduces generalised avoidance in new contexts. Quarterly Journal of Experimental Psychology (2006), 73, 2119 – 2131.
de Jong, R., Lommen, M.J., van Hout, W.J., de Jong, P.J., & Nauta, M.H. (2020). Therapists’ characteristics associated with the (non-)use of exposure in the treatment of anxiety disorders in youth: A survey among Dutch-speaking mental health practitioners. Journal of anxiety disorders, 73, 102230.
Lemmens, A., Smeets, T., Beckers, T., & Dibbets, P. (2020). Avoiding at all costs? An exploration of avoidance costs in a novel Virtual Reality procedure. Learning and Motivation.
Reeves, R., Curran, D., Gleeson, A., & Hanna, D. (2021). A Meta-Analysis of the Efficacy of Virtual Reality and In Vivo Exposure Therapy as Psychological Interventions for Public Speaking Anxiety. Behavior Modification, 46, 937 – 965.