Helpful Distractions
✨Hello, OC,✨
I found a great acronym recently for distractions. Sometimes when I feel strong emotions, such as anxiety, I need a distraction to get through the next few minutes or hours. I also may not be in the headspace to face difficult emotions just yet.
A - ACTIVITIES 🎨🎮
Engage in activities that require thought and concentration, such as a hobby, a project, work, or school.
C - CONTRIBUTING 👥💙
Focus on someone or something other than yourself. For example, volunteering or doing a good deed.
C - COMPARISONS 👈👉
Look at your situation in comparison. Remember a time when things felt worse than they do now (and how you eventually overcame it).
E - EMOTIONS 😂😊😭😡
Do something that will create a competing emotion. Feeling sad? Watch a funny movie. Feeling nervous? Listen to soothing music.
P - PUSHING AWAY ✋❌
Push negative thoughts out of your mind. Imagine writing your problem on a piece of paper, crumpling it up, and throwing it away. Refuse to think about the situation until a better time.
T - THOUGHTS 👤💭
Occupy your mind so you don't have room to dwell on the painful feelings. For instance, count backwards from 1000 by 7 or read a book.
S - SENSATIONS 👅🖐
Find safe physical sensations to distract you from negative emotions. Examples include holding an ice cube in your hand or eating something sour (i.e., sour lollies or a lemon).
Comments
Hi @Green_Ghost
Thank you for your post. This is so helpful!
Personally, I usually just write or listen to music, but then there have been times when either of those don't seem to help. From now on, I'll make sure to try other things as well.
Using sensations to distract yourself is something I found interesting and new. I think this could be particularly useful in anxious and stressful situations, when a hot drink can help you calm down.
Thanks again for the acronym. Have a good weekend!
