Hi @Former-Member
I really like how you've started this new discussion thread focusing on Distraction Strategies. Well done and thank you very much for taking the initiative to start this👍🏻⭐️! I've often wondered what different people with mental health do on the forums to distract themselves when they aren't coping or are having a tough time with life so now there's a place where people can list their strategies for people like me to read and look at trying if they need or want to. Thanks very much!
For me, some of the things I do to distract myself when things get tough are:
- Look at Facebook and see what other people are doing in their lives. This often gives me ideas depending on what groups or pages come up in my feed like knitting or cross stitch or crochet ideas for example or even laughing at funny memes which I like looking at!
- Drawing or colouring in pictures or abstract designs that I create using textas, pencils and crayons. I found drawing to be particularly useful to me when I was in hospital in September and was trying to avoid checking my emails in case I received bad news. I still like drawing and have a display book of things I've drawn and I write notes on the back of what I've drawn about why I drew that picture and how I was feeling snd thinking at the time.
- Knitting! I find knitting beanies to be very therapeutic as I can be very creative in the choice of colours of yarn chosen and I donate the beanies to charity which they really appreciate, especially at winter time when they are needed in a major way! I also knit blankets and at the moment, baby jumpers for charity and a new jumper for myself that I started yesterday as a Christmas present to myself!
- Writing and Journaling. I find writing things down to be very therapeutic and I like how I can get things out on paper and feel like the problem isn't as bad I made it out to be when I read over it later on. I found writing to be very helpful to me, my psychologist and others involved in my care back in August and September when I experienced a psychosis episode and had a hospital admission because of it as my psychologist was able to live through the psychotic episode as I wrote down what was happening to me as I went through it which he found to be really helpful when treating me. I did read over those journal entries and I was pleasantly surprised about how I survived the episode and what strategies I used to get through it when I was at home, in hospital and later on, at PARCS after being discharged from hospital. Other things I like writing about is taking photos or images and writing about them in a descriptive sort of way and maybe even getting creative and placing myself in the image and writing about these in a notebook. I also find emailing my psychologist to be great as well if there's something I need him to know about and later on discuss in our next appointment if relevant.
- Going on the SANE forums. This is a great strategy for me as I can often get help, support and ideas off other forum members to help me with my episodes or at least help them out at times. I also like the social elements of the forums with several discussion threads I follow and comment on a regular basis, such as All Things Sport... , Thumbs up Thursday - Woohoo! Re: Good Morning Daily Achievements!
- Reading books and magazines via my library subscription in electronic form. Also, I notice that when I'm at uni and having to do research, I often find myself getting distracted and lost down the rabbit hole on the research topic and often find myself bookmarking journal articles to read for later on, even if they may not be fully related to my research topic. I particularly like journal articles on mental health and peer work as well as psychology based articles on new treatments and therapies.
- Crochet. I like making crochet blankets using yarn in the form of granny square blanket.
- Cross stitching. This is something I used to love doing but haven't done for a while. I still read cross stitching magazines via the library in electronic form and buy kits every now and then.
- Watching sport on TV. I like watching cricket - Big Bash Twenty 20 style especially- , AFL (Brisbane Lions), NRL (Melbourne Storm) swimming, gymnastics, diving, Winter Olympics and Summer Olympics. Basically, most sports besides golf and boxing.
- Listening and downloading music on my iPhone via Apple Music.
- Going for a drive in my car to a park or the beach to relax
- Going to the library to chill out and knit or read magazines or books
- Sleep or rest on my bed.
- Have a warm shower or relaxing bath
These are some of my strategies. I wonder what other forum members do? I look reading about what others do and maybe even adding them to my list.
Judi9877☺️💐
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