Turtle behavior is a neurotic way to avoid life.

What comes to mind when you think of a turtle? The shell, right? When feeling threatened, turtles escape into the protection of their protective shells.  We, humans, also have shells, but not physical shells made of keratin, ours are behavioral—we have avoidant strategies to protect ourselves from perceived harm. In this Self-Coaching episode, I discuss the fact that all humans have shell-avoidant behaviors, but not all avoidant behavior is neurotic. It all depends. It depends on the thickness of your ‘shell.’ For some, kicking back and avoiding making a tedious phone call at the end of a long day; may be termed avoidant, but understandable, behavior. For those, however, with thicker shells (more habituated avoidant strategies), this type of retreat from life’s challenges can become problematic, fueling other emotional struggles.