The Real Cost of Avoiding Difficult Tasks: Why It’s Stressing You Out

How Avoidance Actually Creates More Stress

When you have a difficult or stressful task on your plate, it's so tempting to just put it off. It feels easier to simply not think about it. This is called avoidance, and while it might feel like a quick fix, it almost always causes more stress than it relieves.

You Won't Stop Thinking About It

If you've ever experienced something traumatic, you know how tempting it can be to avoid anything that reminds you of it. In the short term, this might seem less painful. But the truth is, this avoidance will stress you out even more in the long run. The thoughts and reminders will keep coming back until you genuinely learn to deal with them instead of running away. The same is true for simple tasks. You might put them off to avoid thinking about them, but you’ll end up thinking about the task constantly, instead of just completing it.

You'll Run Out of Time

When you put off a task, you might get a moment of relief, telling yourself you'll do it later. But this is actually worse than doing it now. Why? Because you'll face even more pressure as the deadline gets closer. This is especially true if you haven't left yourself enough time and have to rush at the last minute, adding a huge wave of panic and stress right when you need it least.

Avoidance Creates Conflict

Imagine a co-worker is waiting for you to finish your part of a project so they can start theirs. If you procrastinate and miss your deadline, you might cause them to miss theirs, too. This can easily lead to conflict. And when you experience conflict in your relationships—whether at work or at home—it just adds to your overall stress level instead of lowering it.

Although it’s incredibly tempting to put things off, it’s a flawed approach. Avoidance doesn’t solve any problems; it just creates bigger ones down the line. It builds up conflict and leads to an even higher level of stress in the future.