Once we accept that discomfort accompanies meaning, the next question is what happens when we refuse to pay. Avoidance can offer immediate relief, but it quietly narrows choices: you stop applying, stop initiating, stop speaking up, stop risking rejection. Over time, a life engineered to minimize discomfort can become small, repetitive, and overly controlled.
This is why many therapeutic approaches emphasize facing rather than fleeing difficult emotions. For example, Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (Steven C. Hayes et al., *Acceptance and Commitment Therapy*, 1999) argues that experiential avoidance often increases suffering, whereas willingness to feel discomfort can free people to act in line with their values. [...]
