Avoidance: When We’d Rather Do Anything Else (Even Watch Minecraft Movies)

It’s Sunday—the kind where the clock ticks louder, the air feels heavier, and the workweek starts creeping in like fog across an open field. Honestly, it felt like a scene from The Last of Us—quiet, eerie, and strangely cinematic.

I had plans today. Big ones. Write a blog post. Schedule my content for the week. Actually follow through on all the things I keep saying I’m going to take seriously. I’m still in the early stages of this blog—finding my voice, testing the rhythm, learning what connects and what just gets lost in the scroll. I haven’t even gotten to the real meat yet—my YouTube videos. That’s where the heart of it is, and I know it.

Weeknights feel easier. I’ve built a rhythm: work, home, workout, no eating after 6:30, family time, in bed by 8:30 to write, lights out by 10. It’s flowing. It feels good. And I want to build on that.

But today?

I changed the sheets. Vacuumed. Did laundry. The usual Sunday reset. All necessary, sure—but also a safe little bubble of distraction. I drifted. I could’ve gotten more done yesterday, but my daughter had back-to-back playdates, and I trailed behind her like a background character in her social life. No excuses—just being real.

And then came the twist: I ended up watching a Minecraft movie. Yep, the pixelated, blocky one. And you know what? It kind of stole my heart. Is it my new favorite? For now, yeah. Will I remember it next week? Probably not. But that’s not really the point.

I mean—I still wrote. I’m writing this right now. Maybe I just needed the movie in the background, like a supportive parent quietly hanging out while I tried to get my thoughts together.

Still… the truth is, I was avoiding.

Avoidance: A Gentle Thief

We tend to think of avoidance as laziness or procrastination, but it’s sneakier than that. Avoidance doesn’t just mean putting something off—it’s often a subconscious way of protecting ourselves. From discomfort. From failure. From the fear that we’ll show up fully and still not be enough.

Avoidance wears many outfits. Sometimes it’s a productivity disguise (“I’ll write after I organize the spice rack”). Sometimes it’s emotional (“I’m too overwhelmed right now, maybe tomorrow”). And sometimes it’s full-on retreat: binge-watching, cleaning things that don’t need cleaning.

But underneath all those things? A little voice whispering: What if I try and fail?
So, we don’t try.

Why We Avoid (Even the Good Stuff)

In psychology, avoidance is often linked to anxiety. The more anxious we feel about a task or a situation, the more we retreat from it. But it’s not always the obvious things that trigger us. Sometimes we avoid the very things we say we want—writing, starting that podcast, applying for that job, launching the Etsy store.

Why? Because the closer something is to our heart, the scarier it feels.

There’s something deeply vulnerable about chasing what you care about. When we go after a dream or speak our truth, we’re opening ourselves up to rejection, criticism, or—maybe worst of all—silence. Avoidance becomes our armor.

But here’s the thing: avoidance doesn’t protect us. It just delays our becoming.

The Minecraft Moment

Back to that Minecraft movie. At first, it was background noise. But then I got sucked in. There’s something oddly comforting about the simplicity of that world. There are goals, challenges, monsters—but you always know what to do next. You dig. You build. You survive.

In a way, it made me wonder—do we avoid real life because it’s messier than Minecraft? Because in life, there’s no clear blueprint. No respawn button. No guaranteed reward at the end of the tunnel.

Watching that movie gave me a momentary escape—but it also made me reflect. What would it look like if I approached my writing like a player approaches building in Minecraft? Not perfectly. Not always with a plan. But with curiosity. With motion. With courage.

A Book Worth Reading: “The War of Art” by Steven Pressfield

If you’ve ever battled avoidance, The War of Art is the book you didn’t know you needed. Pressfield doesn’t sugarcoat it—he names the enemy: Resistance.

He says:

“Resistance will tell you anything to keep you from doing your work. It will perjure, fabricate; it will seduce you. Resistance is always lying and always full of s***.”

Oof. That one hits.

But it’s true. Resistance (aka avoidance) isn’t just about distraction. It’s a force. And if you want to create anything meaningful—art, a business, a new version of yourself—you’ll need to meet that resistance head-on.

Pressfield’s advice is clear: show up anyway. Do it scared. Do it imperfectly. Just do it.

A Movie That Nails It: The Secret Life of Walter Mitty
This 2013 film (a remake of the 1947 original) is a gem for anyone who’s ever felt stuck in their own head.

Walter is a mild-mannered photo editor who lives more in daydreams than in the real world. He imagines wild adventures—scaling mountains, saving lives, wooing women—but in reality, he plays it safe. He avoids risk. Emotion. Life.

Until he’s forced into a real adventure.

What I love about this movie is how clearly it captures avoidance—not as a flaw, but as a coping mechanism. Walter’s daydreams protect him from the sting of real life. But they also keep him from living.

When he finally does step into the unknown, it’s not graceful or cool. It’s awkward, messy, and beautiful. Which, honestly, is how most real change looks.

What We Miss When We Avoid
Avoidance is comfortable. Safe. But it’s also a thief. It robs us of moments that could transform us.

• The blog post you didn’t write that could’ve helped someone.

• The gym session you skipped that might’ve sparked a breakthrough.

• The honest conversation you dodged that could’ve healed something deep.

We avoid because we’re scared. But growth doesn’t live in comfort—it lives in motion.

What Helps Me Push Through

• Naming it. Just saying “I’m avoiding right now” helps bring awareness.

• Micro-moves. Instead of writing a whole post, I start with a title. Then a sentence. Then another. Which is what I’m doing….

• Grace. Beating myself up never helps. Acknowledge the avoidance, but don’t camp there.

And sometimes? I just need to watch a silly movie, let my mind rest, and try again in an hour. That’s okay too.

Avoidance isn’t failure. It’s feedback. It’s your body and mind saying, this matters to you. Instead of judging it, get curious. What are you afraid of? What would happen if you leaned in just a little?

This post almost didn’t get written. But I’m glad I pushed through. Because maybe, just maybe, you needed to read this today. And maybe you’re avoiding something too.

Take this as your gentle nudge. The world doesn’t need your perfection. It needs your presence.

Now go do the thing—or at least take one small, brave step toward it. I’ll be real with you: this was actually my second time watching Minecraft. I watched it all the way through last night, and it made me feel good—so I hit play again today. But halfway through, I paused it, turned off the TV, and got back to writing. And honestly? It felt even better.

And if you find yourself watching Minecraft again… no judgment here. Just promise me you’ll come back to what matters:)