Our thoughts are almost impossible to control and can be difficult to handle. Sometimes the best thing to do is to distract yourself, and your thoughts for the time being. Below are some examples of useful distractions when your thoughts are bugging you.
Distracting yourself by paying attention to someone else (Take the focus of you)
- Do something for someone else, like ask if your parents need any help with anything. Call someone and ask to take them for lunch. By a homeless person a cup of tea. Plan ahead and volunteer at a shelter for something you believe in.
- Take a attention of yourself by watching people. Go to the shops, café or library and notice things about people. How many people have blonde hair? Notice their dress sense, what they might do for a living or are they a student? Create stories for these people.
- Think of someone you love or admire and keep a photo of them in your purse.
- Plan ahead for a future birthday of a loved one. What presents can you get them? Could you take them somewhere nice?
- Make something for someone. A cake, card, maybe even sew something.
Distracting from your thoughts
Sometimes when you really don’t want to think about something, it is all we can think about! So instead of trying to force yourself to get rid of these thoughts, it can be more useful to distract them. These tips are great for when you are out and about and can be done mostly anywhere. For example:
- Remember past events when you were happy. Where were you? Who were you with? Try to remember every detail, no matter how small. Write this memory down as you relive it.
- Imagine your fantasy future coming true. What would it consist of? Where would you live, what does your house look like? What are your kids like?
- Write down your favourite quotes and carry them with you
- Think of what you would say to someone in the past that has hurt you. Imagine being able to say anything to anyone. What would you say?
Distracting yourself with tasks and chores.
- Washing up
- House work
- Phone someone you haven’t spoken to in a while
- Organise
- Dye or cut your hair
- Polish your jewellery
- Throw away old clothes
- Sort of your finances
- Plan your career.
Make your own distraction plan using the activities above and also including your hobbies like reading/watching a film / shopping ect.
This is a photo of my sketchbook that I use when I'm in need of a distraction! Here I've painted a dream I had.
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