Personality disorders are more or less common these days. But how to overcome avoidant personality disorder? Let’s find out.
“Have you ever been ignored or avoided by anyone in this journey called life?”
“Did you ever wonder the reason behind doing so?”
Avoiding someone is common these days. If people are toxic, we have a pretty good reason why we should avoid them. However, the irony is that we even avoid people who do not have bad intentions toward us.
In other words, avoiding someone is bad and, in certain situations, not healthy at best and immoral at worst.
But, “What if this comes out as a personality disorder?”
“What if avoiding someone is the result of a personality disorder?”
That is what we need to know about the tendency to avoid people and find out how it results in complications in not only the one who gets avoided but also the one who avoids him.
In other words, a lot depends on the individual having this personality disorder. At one point, it stresses people who are emotionally close to these individuals.
The avoidant personality disorder is a behavioral pattern resulting in social inhibition, anxiety, feelings of inadequacy, and significant sensitivity to rejection in career and relationships.
So, “What are the reasons behind this disorder?”
“How to overcome the avoidant personality disorder?”
Let’s take a look at it in the next section and discuss the symptoms and remedies to this disorder.
What are the symptoms of avoidant personality disorder?
Avoiding someone hurts and makes the situation worse. But it is difficult to control this tendency when you are suffering from a certain personality disorder, right.
However, behind every disorder, symptoms help us find out about the disorder and whether the person suffering from it knows about it.
Individuals suffering from avoidant personality disorder suffer from a lack of confidence, fear, insecurity, depression, and anxiety. The irony is that they want to socialize but end up avoiding people unintentionally.
So, “What are the symptoms of avoidant personality disorder?”
Let’s find out.
1. Feelings of anxiety in social settings:
Social settings are good for people who like to socialize and enjoy themselves with people as much as possible. They have the energy and excitement that is infectious enough to attract people around them.
However, people who already suffer from social anxiety have a good chance to suffer from an avoidant personality disorder. These individuals have high feelings of anxiety and are too afraid to express their opinions with people.
Hence, feelings of anxiety are one of the symptoms of avoidant personality disorder.
2. Avoiding cordial or intimate relationships:
Intimate relationships are vital for us in every phase of life. However, not all people are comfortable having close bonds and relationships with people. Not only this, but they also fear trusting others.
Moreover, they have an underlying fear of deception and betrayal either due to abuse or violence in the early stages of life. This fear drives their insecurities to a whole new level.
Therefore, avoiding cordial or intimate relationships is another symptom of avoidant personality disorder.
3. Lack of pleasure in anything:
Individuals with this type of personality disorder do not experience pleasure or satisfaction in anything. In fact, these people appear to be more stoic and adamant in situations of fun.
Also, their lack of participation in anything makes it worse and does not help in alleviating their avoidant behavior a bit. They feel out of place and find nothing exciting or tempting around them.
Hence, having a lack of pleasure in anything is another symptom of avoidant personality disorder.
4. Feelings of inadequacy:
Feeling inadequate is not limited only to some individuals. Every person feels inadequate at some stage of his life. However, the feelings of inadequacy in the case of individuals suffering from an avoidant personality disorder increases.
In other words, the individuals feel highly insufficient and consider themselves below average in terms of performance and capabilities. This makes them very dissatisfied and resigned with their lives.
Therefore, having feelings of inadequacy is the fourth symptom of avoidant personality disorder.
5. Low Self-esteem:
Individuals suffering from an avoidant personality disorder have self-esteem issues making them seem very shy and withdrawn. They struggle with identifying themselves and have a negative self-image.
Moreover, they can be very defensive and do not open up with people, even their close ones. It makes it difficult for them to come out of their avoidant behavior and accept themselves.
Hence, having low self-esteem is another symptom of avoidant personality disorder.
So, these were the five important symptoms of avoidant personality disorders.
But, “How to overcome avoidant personality disorder?”
“What are the ways to diagnose it?”
Let’s find out in the next section.
How to overcome avoidant personality disorder?
So, until now, we have discussed the symptoms of avoidant personality disorder. The inability to cope up with all the above symptoms makes the individual even more avoidant and reclusive.
However, there are steps and ways to overcome the avoidant personality disorder. First, we need to find out the reasons or causes that give rise to this disorder.
Normally, genetic and environmental as well as social conditions are the causes of avoidant personality disorder. But other factors such as emotional abuse, torcher, and destructive criticism can increase the effects and make the person too avoidant.
So, “How to overcome avoidant personality disorder?”
Let’s take a look at it.
1. Try to find the reason behind your anxiety:
Anxiety is one of the symptoms of avoidant personality disorder that makes it difficult to handle. Especially, if you are suffering from social anxiety, things can get pretty messy.
A lot depends on the way an individual copes up with stress caused by anxiety. It is better to find the reason behind it. In other words, the things that make you anxious and instill fear in you must be handled as much as possible.
Therefore, try to find the reason behind your anxiety to overcome avoidant personality disorder.
2. Seek the help of a counselor or consider therapy:
Therapy is one of the most effective treatments to cure any personality disorder. An individual suffering from an avoidant personality disorder should consider therapy and counseling to cope with up with it.
Also, one should seek the counseling of people, who have been through this disorder. Not every person might be able to help you, but some can, and that is all you need.
Hence, seek the help of a counselor or therapy to overcome the detrimental effects of avoidant personality disorder.
3. Try to form healthy relationships with people:
Relationships are definitely not the strongest thing for people suffering from this disorder. Now, it is important to form healthy relationships. However, many people fear intimate relationships.
Besides, fear of intimacy can cause many problems with one’s romantic life. Therefore, it is vital to form healthy platonic relationships with people to help coming out of your comfort zone.
Therefore, try to form healthy relationships with people as much as possible to overcome the effects of avoidant personality disorder.
4. Accept your insecurities and try to overcome them:
Insecurities are a common problem for people suffering from avoidant personality disorder. They face a lot of problems with insecurities and do not know how to deal with them.
But, the best thing they can do to tackle them is to accept and try to embrace their vulnerabilities to successfully overcome them and feel more independent and secure.
Hence, accept your insecurities and try to tackle them to overcome the effects of avoidant personality disorder.
5. Build a healthy and positive self-image:
It is important to build a healthy and positive self-image to deal with self-esteem issues. Individuals suffering from an avoidant personality disorder should make it their top priority to build a healthy self-image.
Now, there are some serious complications in achieving it, as not everyone is oriented towards self-development. Such people might suffer a lot from unhealthy self-esteem. However, taking an optimistic and hopeful perspective is the best way to develop a positive self-image.
Therefore, build a healthy and positive self-image to overcome the effects of avoidant personality disorder.
Final Words:
To sum up, individuals suffering from avoidant personality disorder face a lot in their lives. They want to talk to people and understand them but can’t due to their avoidant behavior.
However, the above ways are good enough to overcome the avoidant personality disorder and embrace oneself as a new individual confident enough to accept others in their lives.