Just about every one of us has at least one issue that we don’t like to talk about. It’s often referred to in different ways. Some people say they like to “keep things compartmentalized.” Others will say they like to roll with the punches. What we all mean when we say this stuff is “please don’t ask me now, because then I’ll have to think about it”.
It makes nothing but sense that we have this attitude. It’s a kind of self-preservation. In its way, it’s like that instinct to lie in bed a little while longer when we’re not feeling so good. Dealing with the bad things in life requires us to confront them. And when we confront unpleasant things, we’re faced with the idea that there might not be a straightforward solution. If we could just ignore it and it went away, how lovely would that be?
Don’t ignore the elephant in the room
The bad news is that nothing ever goes away because it is ignored. In your health, for example, that annoying pain that sticks around has thousands of explanations, most of them minor. But whether or not they’re anything to worry about, issues still need to be faced. Only when you meet them head-on can you get rid of the anxiety that they cause.
“I Don’t Want To Think About My Credit Card Bill”
Plastic stops being fantastic when the bill falls through the door.
Any of us who have ever missed a payment, or not sent a form off on time, will know the feeling of seeing a reminder letter. The thought of “I’m so not in the mood right now” is a tempting one. “I’ll deal with it later” is the worst thing you can tell yourself. You persuade yourself that it’s in hand, but do nothing to deal with it. Pay it now, if you can. If you can’t, call the provider and work something out.
“I Don’t Want To Think About That Pain”
Our bodies are highly complex organisms, and there is a lot that can go wrong with them. If that sounds scary, bear in mind this includes sneezes and broken fingernails. Most of the things that can go wrong are minor and can be dealt with. But ignoring them just means you don’t take action. (http://www.everydaysociologyblog.com/2011/03/silence-and-denial-in-everyday-life.html)
Wherever it hurts, if it’s not going away get it checked out.
It’s better to know that the recurring pain is just a pulled muscle, and do what’s needed to resolve it – and this means speaking to someone. If it is something worse, time is of the essence. Chronic or acute, illness doesn’t “wait and see.” It gets worse if you don’t do something about it.
“I Don’t Want To Think About A Funeral”
Whether it’s your own or that of someone you love, no-one wants to picture the reality of a funeral. When you do that, you have to acknowledge that death is a reality. Over the course of time, you will eventually die. You will be bereaved. Speaking to providers like burialinsuranceplans.com means that burial costs are in hand. Hopefully, they’re a long way in the future. Regardless, sorting it out now beats having to worry about it at the time.
You don’t want to worry about burial costs on top of your grief.
“I Don’t Want To Think About Moving House”
If you’ve got the perfect home, then chances are you’ll be able to stay in it from now until your final days, and that’s great. But if you’ve got a one-bed apartment and a new baby on the way, it’s unlikely to remain the case. So many of us put off the hard work on moving house until days before we have to go. All that means is that it has to be done faster, there is more to do and, as a result, it will be done worse.
Organization is boring, but it saves you so much work
Also, who wants to spend all day for a series of days getting ready to move. Prepare yourself by sorting out storage for things that will need to go with you. Better to carry them from the garage to the truck in a couple of easy journeys than have to keep going back and forth.
All of us have our triggers for that sense of avoidance. And the fact that we immediately think “I don’t want to deal with that right now” is the reason we should. Life events have their own momentum and will happen whether or not we think about them, or want them. It’s best to meet them on the front foot.
If you’re still thinking “No, avoiding the heck out of it sounds better to me,” take another mental image. You, sitting on a sofa with a glass of something delicious, knowing you’ve earned a chance to relax. That’s how you feel when you’ve faced an issue head-on. And even when you don’t WANT to think about something, you still will until it’s dealt with.
