Carrying an issue without resolution is like carrying debt. You’ll eventually have to pay the principal (by having the difficult conversation), but the longer you wait, the more interest you’ll pay in anxiety and dread.
Source: Harvard Business Review, April 12, 2017.
Life is full of difficult conversations, particularly if you’re invested in having a great team at work. Postponing a difficult conversation only makes it worse. Get your head around what you need to say, be deliberate about when and where to have the conversation, and then keep calm and carry on. You’ll feel better once it’s over.