What Are You Running From? Understanding the Role of Numbing in Our Lives

You tell yourself you just need to unwind. So you pour a drink. Open Instagram. Binge another show. Sign up for another project.

You’re not running from anything—just staying busy, staying productive, staying connected. That’s what life is about, right?

But if you were to sit in silence for just a moment—no phone, no music, no distractions—what might rise to the surface?

Would it be stress? Loneliness? Fear that you’re falling behind?

The truth is, we are all running from something. And if we’re not careful, we spend our lives numbing instead of living.

The Many Ways We Numb Ourselves

Most people assume numbing looks like alcoholism, drug use, or other obvious destructive behaviors. But numbing can be much more subtle. It can look like:

• Workaholism – Staying late at the office, always needing to be busy, tying your worth to productivity.
• Social media scrolling – Constantly checking your phone to avoid stillness.
• Over-exercising – Turning fitness into an obsession, using physical exhaustion to avoid emotional pain.
• People-pleasing – Filling your calendar with social obligations to avoid being alone.
• Binge-watching – Consuming endless content so you don’t have to think about your own life.
• Compulsive planning – Needing everything mapped out to avoid uncertainty.
• Alcohol and drugs – Not just to “have fun,” but to take the edge off your anxiety or stress.

None of these things are inherently bad. But when we use them to avoid our inner world, they become barriers to growth and healing.

Avoidance Prevents Growth and Healing

Every time we numb, we send ourselves the message: I can’t handle this feeling.

But the feelings don’t disappear. They just go underground, where they manifest as anxiety, depression, resentment, or even physical symptoms like exhaustion or chronic stress.

Avoidance keeps us from learning how to sit with our emotions. And when we don’t engage with our inner world, we stay stuck—repeating the same patterns, making the same mistakes, carrying the same wounds.

How to Stop Running and Start Engaging

If you’re ready to stop numbing and start feeling fully alive, here’s where to begin:

1. Notice Your Default Escape

What’s the first thing you reach for when you feel uncomfortable? Your phone? A drink? More work? Pay attention to your patterns.

2. Name What You’re Feeling

Instead of numbing, pause and ask yourself: What’s underneath this? Are you bored? Stressed? Lonely? Naming it is the first step to processing it.

3. Sit With the Discomfort

Try not reaching for your usual escape. Sit in the quiet. Journal. Go for a walk. See what comes up when you stop distracting yourself.

4. Talk to Someone

Avoidance thrives in isolation. Share what you’re experiencing with a trusted friend, therapist, or mentor who can help you navigate what’s coming up.

You Can Stop Running

The life you want—one of peace, meaning, and connection—is on the other side of facing what you’ve been avoiding.

At Sage Hill Counseling Nashville, we help young professionals break free from numbing patterns and reconnect with their inner world. If you’re ready to stop running and start healing, we’re here to walk with you.

Reach out for a help. You don’t have to do this alone.

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