It's one of the ways people deal with anxiety by deciding not to think about what's causing the negative feelings in the first place.

Dr. Matthew McKay identifies five types of avoidance behaviors: avoiding people, places, or things that trigger us (situational avoidance); avoiding distressing thoughts or memories (cognitive avoidance); engaging in activities that make us safe, like compulsive cleaning (protective avoidance); avoiding situations we know cause a physical experience we fear (somatic avoidance); and substituting one feeling with another (e.g., feeling agree when deep down we're sad or grieving.)

Avoidance is a passive coping strategy. It differs from active ones that aim to reduce or eliminate the stressor, like: solving the problem at hand (e.g., analysis, communication); dealing with the emotions it triggers (e.g., meditation, mindfulness); or reframing the situation (e.g., growth mindset, humor.)