This is part 2 of a 5-part series on the disconnection patterns — the tendencies that turn small moments into full-blown conflict. In this episode we get into what avoiding actually is, how it differs from suppressing, and why it tends to be the most damaging of the five. We talk about the man who can't tell his partner he might lose his job, the guy who knows he should stop drinking but never quite does, and the way our minds get clever about hiding the things we're most afraid to face. Then we get specific about what it actually takes to move from avoiding to accountability — starting with one question you can ask yourself in the middle of the pattern.

If anything in this episode is landing, find out which of the five disconnection patterns is most active in your relationship right now. Take the free 3-minute Reconnection Code quiz:

your-reconnection-code.lovable.app

For deeper work on conflict and reconnection, the Pain-Free Conflict workshop is here:

painfreeconflict.lovable.app

Find me on Instagram: @dave_lishansky