Psychology

We Don’t Avoid Work. We Avoid Feelings.

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Yesterday, I had one important task.

Not ten. Not twenty. Just one.

It wasn’t urgent. It wasn’t dramatic. Nothing was on fire.

It was simply important.

But instead, I cleaned my entire house.

I don’t know who needs to hear this, but there is something deeply motivating about doing literally anything except the one thing that actually matters.

I told myself, “I’ll start in five minutes.”

Five minutes to mentally prepare.

Five minutes to check one notification.

Five minutes to hydrate, stretch, breathe, and align my life.

Forty-five minutes later, I had:

Watched three reels on billionaire morning routines.

Saved a quote about discipline.

Researched whether I might secretly have a magnesium deficiency.

The task? Still there. Calm. Patient. Slightly disappointed.

Then came the doom scrolling.

I opened my phone to reply to one message. One.

Suddenly I was emotionally invested in a stranger’s breakup, mildly anxious after reading a health post, and deeply inspired by someone who wakes up at 4:30 a.m. (which I will absolutely not be doing).

Doom scrolling feels like rest.

It is not rest.

It is avoidance… but make it digital.

And the funny part? We know we’re doing it. We just whisper to ourselves, “This is my break.”

Break from what?

From the task we still haven’t started.

Here’s the truth we don’t like admitting.

We don’t avoid tasks because we’re lazy.

We avoid them because they make us feel something uncomfortable.

That email might trigger fear of judgment.

That presentation might wake up self-doubt.

That conversation might create conflict.

That decision might change something important.

So instead of sitting with those feelings, we clean drawers.

We organize files.

We watch “how to stop procrastinating” videos… later.

We love saying, “I work best under pressure.”

No. We panic best under pressure.

But it sounds cooler.

The brain prefers immediate relief over long-term peace. Every time.

Avoidance gives instant comfort. Completion gives delayed satisfaction.

Guess which one wins most days?

If you see yourself in this, take a breath.

You’re not lazy.

You’re not undisciplined.

You’re human.

But if procrastination, doom scrolling, and running away from important conversations are becoming a pattern, not an exception, then maybe it’s not about time management.

Maybe it’s about emotional management.

And that requires a different kind of support.

At Vibrant Aura, we help you explore what’s underneath the avoidance,  gently, safely, without judgment.

Your first consultation is free.

Sometimes the task you’ve been postponing… is actually yourself.

Clarity doesn’t come from thinking about it.

It comes from beginning.