Human beings have a tendency to overthink once in a while. It may be due to some event that happened in your life or some kind of mental pressure you are facing etc. If you have some negative and uncomfortable thoughts in your mind and you want to get rid of it, you have to distract yourself from thinking about all such things.
Though there are many unhealthy and severe distractions as well which will not be helpful at all. The only pattern is that you divert your focus to something good and buy time to shift your attention completely from the thought you wanted to avoid. In order to turn your attention from a thought, you can follow some steps which will help you to be happy and calm. Let us look at some of the habits which can help you distract yourself from thinking about certain things.
#1. Keep A Journal And Write It Out
One of the most important reasons that you are still having the thoughts you don’t want is because you are trying hard to force the thoughts out of your mind which is not easily possible. However, you can make notes and write them down in a journal. This will help you to vent out all your frustration and distract you from the current state of affairs. You will be able to explore your emotions and then get them out by writing them down.
#2. Acknowledge The Emotions You Are Feeling
It is actually a healthy habit to acknowledge and accept your feelings and emotions. Even if you are having negative feelings at that time, try to know and acknowledge the things you are experiencing. You need to know what are the exact feelings you are actually trying to distract yourself from. If you are just covering up or running away from those feeling, they will never leave you. To distract yourself from what you are thinking, you first need to acknowledge it and then take action accordingly.
#3. Try To Break The Cycle Of Rumination
Rumination refers to overstressing on some thoughts and keeping on thinking about them. However, you need to break the cycle of over thinking about a single thought because it can severely eat you up. Rumination can be a link to depression as well, and that will be the last thing you would want to do to yourself. Therefore, give up the rumination train as this will distract you from your negative thoughts.
#4. Involve Yourself In Mindful Meditation
Mindfulness is a term used for the mind which is aware of what is happening in the present. Practice mindful meditation to distract you from the current state of affairs. The practice of mindful meditation will improve your consciousness about the present rather than past or worry about the future. It will slow down your thought process, will make you more aware of the present and give up the thoughts of past. Create a mindful routine of your day, and it will make sure you are easing the troubles of your mind.
#5. Explore Your Creative Skills
Write, draw, paint, sing, play instruments and what not. There are numberless creative activities which can distract your mind efficiently from the thoughts that are occupying you. Everyone is flexible enough to have some creative skill in themselves. Explore your creativity in order to distract yourself from thinking too much. It improves problem-solving skills and flexibility. Most of the people have something or the other hobby in their life which they enjoy doing in their spare time. You should focus on your hobbies in order to distract yourself from the thoughts you want to avoid. Spread those good feeling inside you by doing what you enjoy, and you will automatically be distracted from the thoughts you want to ignore.
#6. Watch Your Favorite Movies Or Web Series
To use your senses to a different place, watching your favorite movie or web series is a great idea. Netflix can actually save you in distracting yourself from the thoughts that you want in your mind. Watching your favorite movie will also enhance your positive spirit, and your mind will get involved in something other than those thoughts.
#7. Listen To Cheerful Music
Music is actually very important in life. The people who can relate to music are blessed ones. However, believe it or not, it is a fact that you can cheer up your mood by listening to cheerful and happy songs. Music has the ability to instantly charge you up, and researchers have shown that it reduces stress and provide relaxation.
#8. Use Internet As A Distraction
In a world where technology is everything, you can use the internet as a tool of distraction. You can connect with some old friends through social media networks and scroll through interesting posts.
#9. Invest Time In Reading Something Productive And Interesting
Reading is an amazing habit as claimed and proved. If you read something interesting, you will really feel that your day has been spent productively. Find a comic, novel or magazine to keep your mind involved. Reading is a great way to get escaped in books and enhance your vocabulary and cognitive skills.
#10. Hit The Gym In Order To Calm Your Body
Exercise can help you to become calm and composed in terms of your emotional and mental stress. It boosts your mood and the chemicals that are produced in the body make you feel better about yourself. Therefore, the next time you want a distraction for yourself, hit the gym immediately. What a way to keep your mind and body healthy.
#11. Take A Warm Shower To Feel Fresh At The Time Of Stress
Anxiety is reduced when you take a warm shower, as the researchers suggest. Therefore, whenever you are feeling anxious or stressed because of an unwanted thought, go take a hot shower which will make you feel more oriented towards your social relationships and relaxed. A warm shower will allow you to have mindful exercise and a relish experience. It will distract you from your negative thoughts and you can start things afresh.
#12. Meet Your Family And Friends
The best distraction where you can even feel warmed up and fresh is meeting the people you love. Meeting your friends, having healthy conversations and having fun with them is the most exciting way to distract your mind from annoying thoughts. The people you love will make you feel positive and they also won’t pick up the topic you don’t want to talk about.
#13. Adopt A Pet
A pet is like your own kids. People who have pets are not able to leave their pets behind for long. They are loving and like a family member and a friend in your family. Also, if you have a pet at home, you can spend time with them or play with them. It will also be a refreshing and rejuvenating activity for you to distract your mind.
#14. Make Sure You Don’t Keep Unhealthy Distractions
You should know that whenever people talk about distractions from something, it is very easy to take the way of wrong distractions. It is a mechanism that is done to deal with the healing capacity of a human. Therefore, in order to get rid of something, don’t get indulge in something worse than that. Remember, wrong distractions are not easy to give up.
#15. Know You Are Strong
Know and look for a stronger side of yourself. Adapt healthy and happy habits to distract yourself from thinking something that you don’t want to. Believe in yourself and fight whatever may come. Distractions can’t be with you for life. Ultimately you will have to face what is there for you. Face your problems like a boss and you will win, indeed.
This was a brief discussion about how you can distract yourself from thinking about something. Let us know how did it work for you and other suggestions in the comments section below.
26 Opinions
3 Opinions
