“Why did I do that?!?!” At times emotions can overwhelm us and
trigger a reaction that is not helpful.
It’s not easy but at times, it can be useful to distract yourself from
difficult emotions in the short-term. Take
a step back in order to give you time to re-center.
The posts Distress Tolerance
Skills and provide strategies to help when emotions threaten to overwhelm you.
Engage in Pleasurable Activities – Prepare beforehand by making a list of pleasurable activities that you enjoy: Do specific with “what, where, when and how.”
- Listen to Music
- Read a Book
- Play Video Games
- Watch a Movie
- Go For A Walk
- Engage in a Hobby
The goal here is to DO something that helps changes your focus
Contribute to Others – Focusing on the needs of others is a good way to take you away from intense emotions. Consider how you may support or assist someone else in their day.
- Call a friend as ask how they are doing
- Volunteer work
- Give out 10 Compliments
- Make the dog happy
- Do something thoughtful
Make Comparisons – Examining the issue in a broader context helps to see it in a different light. Think about how you feel today vs how you felt previous, or may feel in the future.
- Think about how someone else may handle the situation
- Notice how much better you are doing today than in the past
- Compare yourself to someone less fortunate
- Notice how much better you are doing opposed to others in the situation
Elicit Opposite Emotions – There are lots of different emotions you can experience – it doesn’t matter if it’s happy, sad, scary, or humorous. See that you are in control of what emotion you feel
- Watch a scary movie
- Listen to powerful music
- Read a funny book
- Listen to inspiring podcast
- Watch a comedy special
Push Away – No matter the situation you control what you experience. You are allowed to deny the problem for a time. Take active action to push a thought out of your head for the moment.
- Refuse to think about the painful situation
- “This is tomorrow problem”
- Write the problem down and put it in a box
- Physically brush the thought away
Control your Thoughts – You get to control your thoughts – use them to your advantage. Engage your rational mind to block out the emotional mind.
- Count to 10 or do simple math
- Do a puzzle
- Think about bizarre situations
- Sing song lyrics in your head
Take Advantage of your Senses – Sight, sounds, touch, smell, taste – can be powerful distractors that change your experience.
- Put on a preferred scent
- Eat a really sour candy
- Take a hot/cold shower
- REALLY loud music
Surrey, Langley, Delta BC