Distraction Techniques – How They Help And How To Use Them

Distraction techniques are an incredibly valuable tool in our mental health wellness kit, to help us to deal with overwhelming emotions and situations. For example, anxiety can feel impossible to sit with. Urges to harm ourselves can feel overwhelming. A low mood can mean our head is full of negative thoughts. Heightened emotions can feel so distressing that it becomes tempting to self-medicate with drugs or alcohol. I have had to manage all of these challenges in my own mental health journey and I understand how exhausting and difficult it can be. However, I have found that by learning to use distraction techniques, I have been able to find healthy ways to manage the most overwhelming of feelings.

What Are Distraction Techniques?

Distraction techniques are tools we can use, to move our focus away from an overwhelming emotion or compulsion onto something else. For example, by using something to keep our hands and mind busy, or by using calming breathing to slow our heart rate and decrease anxiety.

How Distraction Techniques Can Help Our Mental Health

Using distraction techniques helps in many ways. Most importantly, distracting ourselves can help to keep us safe and avoid harming ourselves. Additionally, by successfully and continually distracting ourselves, we eventually learn to trust our own ability to cope with difficult emotions and situations. Then, as we store up evidence of our ability to cope, we in turn also strengthen our resilience. Ultimately, over time as we hone the skill of distraction, we develop better habits for taking care of our mental health.

How to Practice Distraction Techniques

Learning to use distraction techniques requires practice. We must first work out which techniques work best for us and this can take time. Therefore it is important to be patient with yourself as you learn this new skill. Be gentle with yourself and keep a playful inquisitive mind as you experiment with a variety of methods and tools. Most importantly, remember to acknowledge even the smallest step and improvement, as you begin to develop a distraction habit. 

Distraction Techniques Ideas

There are many tools and methods you can use to distract yourself. However, I have found the best distraction tools to be things which require the use of my hands or a lot of concentration. The following suggestions are some of the distraction techniques which I have found to be the most helpful.

Create a Distraction Box

A distraction box is a small container, filled with items you can fiddle with to keep your hands and mind busy. Creating a distraction box was my most useful distraction tool which I used to help me begin to overcome self-harming. However, a distraction box is equally helpful to distract from anxiety, or from overwhelming emotions.

I made my box with an old shoebox and then filled it with small items such as modelling clay and mini puzzles. Use your imagination to fill it with all kinds of mini items. For example, there are many mini-games you can buy, which people use as stocking fillers at Christmas as novelty gift ideas. Anything small enough to fit in the box that you can use to keep your hands busy is ideal.

You can also decorate the box as an additional distraction. I found that the process of adding to the box and seeing it grow was incredibly satisfying because it symbolised all the times I had successfully distracted myself from something difficult.

Try Colouring or Doodling

Adult colouring books are now widely available and for good reason, they are a lovely way to distract yourself and to practise self-soothing. You can buy so many kinds of colouring books now, from intricate patterns to themes and favourite characters. The concentration colouring takes, works well to take your mind off overwhelming emotions. Additionally, colouring a pattern or design, gives a wonderful sense of achievement on completion.

Take Some Exercise

I find that if I am feeling anxious and unsettled a walk can really help. A fast walk is great to pound the pavement and get rid of any anger. Alternatively, a slow walk in nature, taking in some deep breaths, can be very calming. Using a gym and having a workout can be a great distraction and helps to release those feel-good hormones and lift our mood. Additionally, I find that taking care of myself well, such as with exercise, increases my sense of self-worth which makes me more able to ignore any negative thoughts.

Use Entertainment as A Distraction

When our minds are racing and our emotions are unsettled, finding something to entertain our minds can be a great distraction. If you can concentrate, a good book that you can lose yourself in can really help. Additionally, you could put on a favorite film or get lost in a box-set of a favorite series.

Write Down Your Feelings In A Journal

Often, when we are going over something in our mind, the act of writing them down can really help. For example, having your thoughts written down can help you to make better sense of things. Additionally, it can help you to reduce stress about things you need to do by getting it written down and organised.

I have written a journal since childhood but recently switched to using a bullet journal. With a bullet journal, you can adapt it to your needs. For example, you can use a bullet journal as a habit tracker for your distraction techniques or as a mood diary. Additionally, I find a journal is helpful to look back on, to remind us that things do pass and of al the times we have managed things well.

Learn Meditation Techniques

Meditation has been one of the best tools in managing my mental health because it has so many uses. Primarily, meditation can help us to manage our breathing, which is crucial in dealing with anxiety and panic attacks. However, one of the best benefits of meditation is learning to be able to watch our minds. For example, with practise, we can learn to notice when our thoughts are beginning to race and to catch our self before we act on impulse.

Take It One Day At A Time

I really hope that these suggestions are helpful to you. Remember that it takes time to learn a new habit so be patient with yourself. Congratulate yourself on every little step and feel good about the fact that you are being productive and working hard to take care of yourself. I would love to hear about your journey and the things you find helpful so please do scroll down and leave a message in the comments section below.

Hello! My name is Finn and I have a passion for creating honest content, that inspires personal growth and promotes well-being.

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