What is the theory behind this Pros and cons of avoidance worksheet ?
Avoidance is keeping yourself away or running from the situation or activity that is stressful to avoid negative consequences or feelings. Avoidance is used as a coping mechanism to deal with difficult situations and to keep ourselves away from the feelings of anxiety. Our mind unconsciously avoids situations or thoughts that are stressful or anxiety provoking to solve the problem without realising that it is just a temporary break from the problem, not the real solution.
How will the worksheet work?
When avoidance is used frequently to cope with problems, we become habitual to it and it gets difficult to realise the pros and cons of avoidance. This worksheet will help therapy clients in evaluating the pros and cons of avoidance and how it is affecting one’s life in a long run.
How to use the worksheet?
The worksheet can be used when someone finds herself/himself stuck in a situation. It consists of two parts. In Part A, ask the client to answer the following questions, and in Part B, help them write down the pros and cons of avoiding the situation in the given table.
Pros and cons of avoidance worksheet
Part A
Answer the following questions:
- How do you respond when you feel anxious or stressed?
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
- What are the events/ activities/ objects/ people that you avoid?
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
- How does this avoidance affect your life?
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
- What ill be the changes in your life if you stop using avoidance as a coping mechanism?
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Part B
Based on your answers to the questions above, write down the pros and cons of avoidance.
| Pros of avoidance | Cons of avoidance |
References
Avoidance and Escape. (2022). Psychology Tools.
https://www.psychologytools.com/professional/mechanisms/avoidance/
Avoidance-avoidance conflict. (2003-2022). Study.com.
https://study.com/learn/lesson/avoidance-avoidance-conflict-overview-elements-examples.html
You can download this worksheet here.