In my case distraction are very usefull for alleviating my anxiety symptoms. I only have to control the time spent on these distractions so they do not became a dominante pattern as I tend to became obsesses in everything I am involved.
But as Ashley refered is also important to do exposure work so one can learn to control bad thoughts and do problem solving. Life is not only roses and one should be able to deal with the adversities that life throws at us. Anxiety people, like me, tend to think that everything is perfect and every problem they face tend to be overwhelming and not beeing capable of leading with the problems.
Ah! let me clarify. I did not mean using games for avoidance, I meant like looking out a window while in a restaurant or counting cars in a line up. Using distractions to keep you from leaving a situation screaming. (exaggeration) Using distractions to prolong your stay in a situation you really should not or can not leave. This is not avoidance, but coping. Make sure you know the difference. Using distractions to prolong your exposure is different than using a distraction so you don't have to do it. Fine line here.
I'm certainly glad it got lots of comments and it would be a good question for the Doc.
I do find that positive distractions do help me a lot when my mind gets overworked with anxiety..It does give my mind a break from the overload..It does take my mind away for the negative trigger and allows my mind to relax so that I can think more clearly..Also I find that there are some negative situations and triggers that can not be changed and that the best thing for me to do in these situations is to find a pleasant distraction so that my mind can focus on the positives in my life instead of the negatives..
Reading your post has helped my mind to relax and given me some clarity about what I need to do to combat my anxiety.
This is a great question for our Expert Dr. Farvolden. Some distraction is good but ashepp is right; as long as you are not avoiding your triggers by distracting yourself then it's ok.
But just for you to consider:
What would happen if you did not distract yourself?
How would you feel if you did not need to use distractions to manage the anxiety?
Have you thought about doing exposure work for some of these thoughts?
Check out the Ask the Expert as in a few answers Dr. Farvolden discusses exposure to memories and thoughts.
Video games have really helped me to feel better, even more so then reading a good book.
I personally think distraction is fine for general anxiety as long as long as you are not avoiding dealing with something that is causing you the anxiety. If I am experiencing a bad bout of anxiety or panic though I let it pass without distraction.
I experience this by doing PMR, which teaches one to be focused on your breathing and tensing of muscles instead of being stressed.
Another way recently, was during a social event, where facilitators have the challenge of getting people to relax. Using an icebreaker, which is a game or fun, can often change the focus to something which takes the attention, or distracts from the symptoms of uneasiness. In my networking event, I actually had fun
One of the causes of panic is information overload. It can be subconscious or you can do it to yourself by over examining a situation or worrying.
When you are busy your brain discards all unnecessary information and your world runs along smooth. But during a panic attack or more so an anxiety attack the checks that control the flow of information don't work as they are supposed too. Too much or too little information goes through. Distracting takes the focus away from the trigger so you can think normal.
In a way it gives you a momentary time out every time you do it. No you won't get accustomed to avoiding the trigger or thoughts. What happens is you need the distraction less as time goes on. In fact as distracting lessens the anxiety you can more comfortably look for the reason you are anxious or panicking with out it turning into an attack.
That is why it is part of your bag of coping skills.
I find that when my mind is occupied with other tasks I rarely have any bouts of anxiety. I have viewed this is a good thing but I think I have started to believe that if I simply distract myself during an anxious moment I can calm myself. I am worried that this making me accustomed to avoiding these thoughts and I may never get to the bottom of my issues. Is there a happy medium here or is this a behavior I should be trying to avoid.
