Distraction Techniques for Anxiety

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The roller coaster of Anxiety doesn’t always give you a chance to recover and put things into perspective, change the channel or just put a pause on your feelings of overwhelm. Which is why you may need to take a brain break with a little distraction to get yourself out of that familiar spiral. If you can put the stress of Anxiety running at lightning speed through your brain down for a few seconds, minutes, or (if you’re really good at it) an hour or more, then life gets a little more bearable.

Distraction therapy is built into a lot of different types of therapy like EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing), different types of exposure therapy, or even cognitive therapy where you learn to change the conversation about your Anxiety. Cancer treatments, preoperative routines in adults and children, and even chronic pain are all treated with distraction techniques because dealing with heavy things is a lot for anyone to take.

But what about when you’re not in therapy and in need of a ‘brain break’?

Enter your distraction of choice.

It can be active or passive, but whatever it is, the point is that it will allow you to turn off the fear, anxiety or stress long enough to let your nervous system get back to a healthier (read: better able to cope) baseline.

The one thing Distraction Techniques are NOT is a cure for Anxiety, so don’t check out and turn on your TV expecting for your Anxiety to disappear completely. Distraction Therapy is meant to be used to help alleviate momentary symptoms, not the overall disorder you’re dealing with.

Distraction Techniques for Anxiety

Active

Doing something active will not only require your full attention and involve some breathing techniques to help calm you down, but reward you with some endorphins to balance out whatever you’re dealing with in the moment. Something to remember while you’re doing something active on a day where you’re struggling with anxiety is to keep in mind your physical limits, as fatigue can exacerbate your Anxiety symptoms and no one wants that. Here are some ideas for differing levels of energy to help distract you from your Anxiety.

Exercise
- Aerobics, walking, running, swimming, biking
- Good for a higher energy day
Yoga
- Good for breathing and focus
- Can also help alleviate any chronic pain problems
- Good for medium level energy days
Stretching
- Consciously relax your muscles and take deep breaths
- Good for low energy days

Social

Not everyone will find this one an attractive prospect, and believe me, as a hardcore introvert with major Social Anxiety, I understand. But the truth is that Anxiety isolates people, and isolation leads to increased stress levels and worsened Anxiety. If you haven’t had much quality time with your loved ones lately, and are experiencing some tough to manage levels of Anxiety, you may want to consider some of the following distraction techniques. Keep in mind, even 5 minutes is better than nothing.

Hang out with Friends and Family
FaceTime, Call, Zoom, with friends or family
Play a game with friends or family
Go to a movie with friends or family
Eat an easy meal with friends or family
Go for a walk with friends or family

Processing/Efficacy

Maybe you can’t get your brain to turn off, or you just have a lot to process. There are some types of distraction that are perfect for that part of you that won’t let you just shut off when you really need to. Then once you’ve processed, maybe you can move onto a form of Entertainment, Creativity or Relaxation.

Problem Solving
- Maybe there’s a problem that’s causing you extra Anxiety. Now could be a good time to sit down and think of tangible ways to help you deal with this specific issue.
Journaling
- Not only is this good for kickstarting your Creativity and reducing your stress levels, but it will allow you a safe space to process your Anxiety, where it came from, what makes it worse, and how you’re feeling lately, and provide you with a chance to practice gratitude to reframe your thoughts.
Clean your room/home
- For some reason my home always gets cleaner when there’s something else I need to do 😜 If you’re struggling to put aside your anxious thoughts and need something to distract yourself with that will not only do the trick, but leave you with a sense of accomplishment, then I’d go with this one. Cleaning may not be your favorite chore, but scrubbing something clean or taking out the trash might help you clear the mental clutter your Anxiety might be causing you.
Learn something new
- Because learning requires focus and the creative areas of your brain, pursuing a new hobby or interest that doesn’t wreck your stress levels could be a great way to change the channel in your brain to something that will hopefully not only trump your Anxiety spiral, but also cut it off completely.

Relaxation

Sometimes taking the time you need to rest is hard, but no one can run on empty, so if you feel like what you need is some rest from your anxiety, give one of these a try, and consider adding in some of these into your next mental health day.

Meditation
- Different types of meditation have different goals. If you’re new to meditation and looking for an idea of where to start, check out my Building Resilience post, where I break down the different types of meditation to help you understand which approach might be best for you.
Breathing Techniques
- The most popular form is probably the 3-3-3 technique
  - Inhale for 3 seconds. Hold that breath for 3 seconds. Exhale for 3 seconds.
- Pursed lip breathing
  - Causes you to take slower, more intentional, deep breaths and is more effective for anxiety management.
- Alternate nostril blocking
  - A yoga breathing technique where you block off one nostril on an inhale, then block off the other during the exhale. This focused breathing technique lowers blood pressure, helping to alleviate your anxiety symptoms.
Get outside
- It’s not all about Vitamin D. When you’re outside, your oxygen levels go up, and your brain produces more serotonin (mood stabilizing neurotransmitter).
Listen to music
- There are tons of YouTube videos out there if you aren’t sure what type of music will help to calm your brain the quickest. Some are even geared towards helping you get to sleep!
Aromatherapy
- Lavender Essential Oil is a top recommendation for Anxiety
- Make sure to buy:
  - Organic and Pure (not fragrance)
  - An established brand
  - Products in a dark colored glass bottle
    - Essential oils can eat away at plastic bottles and become unsafe.
    - Pure essential oils can also cause discoloration. Pure products will be housed in colored glass to avoid this problem.
- Be careful how you use them, not everyone responds to essential oils the same. Allergic reactions can always occur so be on the lookout for this issue if you or someone you’re with is new to aromatherapy.
Progressive Muscle Relaxation
- Set aside 15 minutes for this exercise and wear loose fitting clothing.
- Be mindful of any injuries or chronic pain areas and don’t overdo the tensing.
- Make sure to focus on one muscle group at a time.
- Look for that feeling of relaxation as you release each muscle group- that is your goal!
- Check out this guide on PMR from Anxiety Canada if you’ve never practiced this before, or try out a YouTube guided PMR video.
Take a nap
- Sometimes what you’re fighting the most is just simple fatigue. You may not like naps, but taking one could be the best medicine for your heightened Anxiety, and be just what your brain needs most.
Read a book
- Reading boosts creativity (especially in the case of fiction books as you visualize the plot, scenery and characters).
- Scientific studies also show that reading is a natural way to increase your focus. If you are dealing with intrusive thoughts that are derailing your day, retrain your brain to focus on what’s in front of you with reading, and give your brain a break.

Creativity

While there are literally dozens of creative ways to reduce stress, in general, anything that you enjoy, especially if it requires you to work with your hands, is considered the most effective way to reduce stress and anxiety. Here are a few examples of distraction techniques for anxiety that use creativity.

Journaling
Creative Writing
Scrapbooking (a good time to put together a collage of positive thoughts/memories)
Sculpting
Painting

Entertainment

This is a quick fix category for when you’re completely burnt out and don’t have the ability to get your mind to focus on anything. While I enjoy movies and binge watching just as much as anyone else (trust me, I really do!), I’ve found that this category can be a crutch if you don’t set limits for yourself on how much time you allow yourself to engage in this type of distraction technique. Again, the goal is to distract, so you can reset yourself and try to handle your Anxiety in a healthier way, not tune out your emotions completely.

Here are a few options:

Watch a tv show
Watch a movie
Watch a funny video

It may be helpful to analyze what you regularly intake for entertainment as well. Studies have shown that the more positive messaged media we are surrounded with, the more likely we are to feel less stress. If you are struggling with anxiety and wondering what could be causing some of your struggles, take a look at what you watch, read or listen to. Media with high conflict may not be the healthiest choice, even if it’s the evening news. While staying up to date on what’s going on in the world is good, if something really big is going on the news- it will find you, whether or not you turn on the tv or read every news article. This may sound drastic, but taking periodic breaks from stress-inducing media might change your mind, even if you’re a die-hard fan or current events interested person.

If you do notice a negative or stressful pattern to your media ‘diet’, it may be good to look for more positively messaged movies, shows, videos, music, etc. Everyone has different tastes, so I won’t leave a list here, but it may be good for you to analyze your media ‘diet’ and make up a list of healthier suggestions to go to, especially in times of heightened Anxiety. In general, anything that reflects gratitude, healing, positive relationships and self-empowerment will be winners to help your brain get back to a healthier place. Even humorous videos of screaming goats could be a good way to break up the stress of Anxiety.

Conclusion

Distraction techniques for Anxiety can be a tangible way of getting through the day by functioning as a necessary ‘reset’. While distractions will never cure Anxiety, they can be helpful ways to reprogram your brain to find an ‘out’ when there doesn’t seem to be an end to the struggle. The more you practice ‘changing the channel’ from Anxiety to more positive, present activities, the more likely you are to find your way to remission. Don’t forget to seek professional help if your Anxiety is becoming unmanageable. Hopefully this post has been a good jumping off point for you to cultivate a list of ways to get yourself back on track when Anxiety threatens to derail you.

May God Bless and Keep You.