New Topic - Distraction

[[do...]]

Would like to hear about what is meant by distraction and how to go about it.

 

Some say to distract for 5 minutes. Then what is done with the rest of my time during the day as the mental / psych/emotional rollacoasters are with me 24/7

 

Thank you

[[lo...]]

Dolphins

 

Distraction is anything that you can do to distract your mind from your symptoms including negative thoughts. It does not mean that you forget your symptoms, just that they become less dominant. At my worst, five minutes was about all I could manage due to lack of concentration. 3 x 5 mins per hour = 25% of the time. 3 x 10 mins = 50% of the time.  You have to find your own methods of distraction. I can now spend an hour or so on BB. It has become much easier.

 

Best of luck

 

LF

 

[[Wi...]]

For me the goal was to distract "as needed".  I never lost my symptoms but i had some brief moments when i wasn't entirely focused on them.

 

Distraction for me included:

 

When i was at my worst and being bombarded, i eould curl up on the couch and either repeat the words "comfort" and or "releif" over and over or continuously count back from 100.  This dtopped all the talking in my head.  Its not posdible to have 2 thoughts simultaneously.  But my mind would try to go back to the monster thoughts and I'd have to gently guide them back over and over.

 

When things were really bad but not dire, i would watch Monk reruns.  They always ended well and didnt require a lot of focus

 

I played bubble popping games online.  Lots and lots and lots

 

There is more but thats the oidea.  One thing i tried very hard to remember but often forgot was that there was no way to logic out of the intrusive thoughts so don't even try.

 

Hope that helps some

 

[[ma...]]

Playing minesweeper or scrabble whilst listening to some music was my best method for distraction

[[pi...]]

Distraction was key for me while in withdrawal. For me it was doing anything that would take my mind off my symptoms.

 

During acute I had movies going all day and night. I didn't necessarily watch them but just glancing at them made me feel less alone with the symptoms.  They were mostly light hearted comedies.

 

I played many games, scrabble on line at the easiest levels to start, crossword puzzles and solitaire. 

 

I was fortunate to be able to read so I downloaded many books from the public library and read.

 

Taking a walk outside in my yard,  at the start it was very short because the bright sun disturbed me and my balance was off.  Later I made an attempt to do a little gardening.

[[Bi...]]

Distraction helped me greatly. I cleaned, talked to friends on the phone as much as I could. Mostly stayed on the online, googling random stuff... just to pass the time.

 

It's a task, but it's very doable.

 

Good luck to you!

[[ea...]]

Distraction has been my best buddy for two years now. I started distracting myself so I wouldn't concentrate on how awful I felt. It helped a lot! And it slowly got easier and easier to do, as my energy levels came up a bit. It has now become a habit, I try to stay busy pretty much all the time. Ive found that for me, there is nothing worse than sitting around, feeling my symptoms and thinking negative thoughts. I could easily have gone down the drain, if that's all I had done.

east

[[me...]]

There are some very good suggestions here.  The important thing is to keep distracting yourself until doing so becomes automatic.  I used whatever distracted me in the moment, and when that no longer did the trick I'd move on to the next distraction.  I used my very obsessiveness to do this.  It's important to use what works for YOU, though, if whatever it is doesn't hold your attention for at least a few minutes, move on to something else.

 

Distraction doesn't stop your symptoms, but it can stop you from obsessing about them.  At least, it did for me. 

 

[[Ch...]]

Scrabble and solitaire online, Pet Rescue, posting here, sometimes was able to read (trilogy of Hunger Games)...

[[do...]]

Everybody thanks! Great suggestions. I guess I am doing that to a degree. I go to bed at midnight yet am battling thoughts until about 5am and then I am able to fall asleep for 2 hours at a time. I make sure I sleep as much as I can until about 1200pm. By then the mind has woken and I am unable to sleep. I then have a meditation then go work out and then go to beach or run errand or 2. If it is my day off I may go to dinner and movie just to make sure I am away from my house. When I return home I watch a movie and then go to bed. On nights I have to work I work. I eat well etc.

 

"There is more but thats the oidea.  One thing i tried very hard to remember but often forgot was that there was no way to logic out of the intrusive thoughts so don't even try."

 

I guess what I  asking is - what else can I do to soften or help end the constant thoughts.

 

Here is what I posted to Magrita

What do I do when I am bombarded by the thoughts all day. Is that part of acute and will it become easier to tame them as time passes?

 

Because not only am I batteling with the many types of thoughts and their many distortions I am also dealing with cog fog, dp, anxiety, and a gripping brain.

 

I also have insecure parts of myself that come to the surface and take over. I feel like a scared little boy who has just lost his whole family and doesn't have a clue how to live and is so scared.

 

Thank you all for your input.

 

[[kd...]]

I obsessively do laundry , I bake do crosswords . Everyone in my family is very fat and impeccably dressed...lol true story...Diane