Distraction Methods for Anxiety

Anxiety keeps you focused on the future. You may constantly worry about every what-if scenario. You try to prepare ahead by thinking of every possible outcome. And, then, your brain focuses on the outcome of those outcomes. It’s a vicious cycle that leaves you stuck without real direction.

Dealing with anxiety often means that you are not ever truly comfortable with being present in the moment. Anxiety keeps your body in a constant, hypervigilant state. This is why anxiety causes us to feel like we are on edge with symptoms such as heart palpitations, feeling clammy, chest tightness, racing thoughts, and more.

Despite all of this, the good news is that you can counteract anxiety by using healthy distraction methods as a coping skill. Here are just a few that you can try.

Distraction Methods for Anxiety

Keep in mind that not every method will work for every person. While it is often a trial-and-error process, the following methods have been proven to work for anxiety.

Grounding Techniques

We've all experienced it—those moments when anxiety takes hold, and our minds seem to race uncontrollably, leaping from one worry to the next. The "what if" scenarios multiply, spiraling into an endless loop of conjecture and apprehension. Similarly, like many others, you may find yourself preoccupied with concerns about the future—be it financial stability, political uncertainties, or other looming issues.

Instead of staying stuck in this cycle, a great distraction method is to try and ground yourself in the present moment. A perfect exercise to try is to do the following:

• Identify 5 things you can see

• What are 4 things you can hear?

• What are 3 things you can smell?

• 2 things you can touch

• 1 thing you can taste

Working your way through this exercise serves a very specific purpose. It forces your brain to be active in the present moment and not focused on the future. By the time you complete this process, you find that you are distracted from what was making you anxious. From there, you’ll likely find that you’ll have a new feeling. It’s possible that your thoughts aren’t moving around like a pinball machine. That can be the gift of the present. Things can slow down when you activate your senses in the present moment. Thia may take practice but it’s worth it, even for the momentary relief you can get from it.

Breathing Exercises

There are many breathing exercises that you can try. When your anxiety ramps up, you probably notice that your breathing becomes shallow and rapid. This is because your nervous system is activated when your body becomes hypervigilant.

One fantastic breathing exercise is to help calm your vagus nerve, which is the main nerve of the nervous system. It’s as simple as sighing deeply three or four times.

You can also do deep breathing exercises to calm your vagus nerve. Boxed breathing can help, which is a simple as:

• Slowly inhale for four seconds

• Hold your breath for four seconds

• Slowly exhale for four seconds

• Repeat steps 1-3.

You can do this as often as you need to, but it’s a great way to clear the anxious thoughts and calm your body. It also tells your brain to focus on the breathing and counting and not the anxious pinball brain racing thoughts.

Try Something Creative

You don’t have to be an artist to reap the benefits of creativity and distract yourself from anxiety. Unfortunately, many people have this misconception that they have to be good at art to enjoy it. You don’t, at all. Society places a lot of pressure and expectations on us to always be the best at everything.

Instead of letting this line of thinking get you, don’t be afraid to try a coloring app on your phone. Or even color in a physical book. Doodle in your notepad. Whatever you try that is creative will be fine. But it forces your brain to focus only on the task at hand, which can be a great distraction method for anxiety. Some of my clients like coloring mandalas, others have benefitted from puzzles.

There’s no singular way to treat anxiety that will work for everyone. However, with so many different methods out there to treat it, there is sure to be something out there that will work for you.

Don’t hesitate to reach out to us to learn more about anxiety counseling and how we can help you get to the root of your issues.