My Favorite Distractions

  A while back I wrote about how journaling has really improved my mental health. That said, there are other things I do to distract myself from the “rough spots” in life, and figured I might as well share those here too…

So here we go:

Music

Figured it made sense to start with this one, cause it’s no-brainer. Listening to music is a part of everyone’s lives, and for some of us, playing music helps too. While I no longer write my own songs, I still “jam” on my guitar at least a little every day. I find that listening to music especially helps when you’re stuck with other people that make you uncomfortable, as you can use music to “tune them out.” I recommend getting wireless earbuds for this, as they’re easier to take with you wherever you go.

Little games

By “little” I mean stuff like Tetris, Solitaire, Wordle, etc. Basically just easy stuff that’s universally accepted as “low-risk.” Studies show that these kinds of games can be quite therapeutic, as a matter of fact! Make no mistake, though: If you’re prone to “gamer rage,” you might still get that even from these kinds of games, at least to a certain extent… Oh yeah, and for solitaire in particular, I like to alternate between easy mode and hard.

Making lists

Meta, I know! But seriously, I’ve found over the years that making lists can be pretty relaxing for me, and I’ve heard others say the same. Doesn’t have to be a specific topic, either. While I lean towards pop culture related stuff, I can make lists of pretty much anything. You don’t need to look further than my list repository to see that. In fact, I recently made a food list, of all things! Making lists is also a good way to motivate yourself to try new things (watch new kinds of movies to add to your lists of favorite films, etc.).

Mind games

What I mean by this is little games that you play entirely in your head. My favorite example of this is “track-by-tracks” (a term coined by a YouTuber I follow called Almost Human). This is where you take two different albums that have the same number of tracks and do “song vs. song” for Track 1, Track 2, and so on, and then add up all the points in the end to see which album wins. Basically any other variation of comparing one thing to another applies here too.

Muscle relaxation through “mentalizing”

This is actually a technique that’s mainly used by the military, to help them fall asleep faster/ in uncomfortable conditions, but I find that it can also help with simply de-stressing during the day too. Basically, you start by picking a spot on your body (usually somewhere on your face like your nose or the inside of your mouth, but starting from your fingers or toes works too). Then you think about all the different little muscle fibers in that particular area, and imagine those fibers “loosening up.” Then, continue that process through different parts of your body, until you fall asleep (or feel relaxed). This is basically an advanced form of “counting sheep.”

“Survival mode”

This is simply the act of reminding yourself that the most important thing in life is simply just to survive in the present moment. Humans need three things to survive: Food, water, and shelter. Constantly remind yourself that you have those things, and if you don’t, figure out what you need to do to get them. If it helps, pretend your life is a livestream, or reality show of some kind, and constantly narrate to yourself in your head as you do the things you need to for survival. Even sleep is technically something we need to survive, so I find that narrating to myself “I’m going to sleep now cause I need to” in my head also helps (in addition to the muscle technique mentioned above).

“Easy” watching

As one might expect, this is just simply the act of watching TV or videos that don’t require too much attention or investment. Your favorite game show, your favorite cooking show, your favorite YouTuber, your favorite movie series or TV show that you continue to marathon over and over cause it’s comforting for one reason or another… You get the idea…

Tea

Caffeinated tea is both energizing yet also relaxing, thanks to the amino acid L-theanine. Alternatively, herbal tea can also be relaxing, for a variety of other reasons. I’ve recently gotten into a new routine where I drink caffeinated tea in the morning, followed by herbal tea in the afternoon, and then herbal tea again in the evening. Just the act of preparing tea alone (in addition to preparing meals, of course) gives me something to “focus” on. An additional “purpose” for getting through the day, if you will. I think hot drinks in particular work for this reason cause you have to drink them slowly.

Looking for patterns

I saved this one for the near end cause it’s not really something I do anymore, but felt it was worth noting anyways. This task just simply entails looking for patterns all around you. Count how many pens happen to be on the table in front of you right now. Focus on the seams on the blanket on your bed. Look out the window and see how many cars (or cars of a particular color) pass by over the next minute or so. Stuff like that. Again, I eventually burnt out on this one, but for at least a little bit of time, it helped me a lot.

Multitasking

This basically just means doing one or more of the things above. In fact, just the other day I was listening to a live stream while playing solitaire and occasionally looking over at my TV on mute. This sorta thing may be frowned upon by some, but personally, if multitasking doesn’t burn you out, I think there’s nothing wrong with it.

As I wrap up here, I’d like to make one more point: Whatever you decide to do to distract yourself in a healthy way, if you’re still not “feeling it,” treat it like work. Pretend like you have to do it. I guess it goes with the whole “pretend your life is a reality show” bullshit…

…Well, thank you for indulging me once again!

Peace!