Which distraction techniques do you use?

[BelAnna]

Hello,

Just that really- which distraction techniques/activities do you find most helpful when you are trying to shift your focus from OCD? 

[gingerbreadgirl]

Hi belanna,

I find games really good for this! Plus it gives me a great excuse to play on the PlayStation and claim it's CBT haha I enjoy writing which has been an absolute life saver. Work can also be distracting, reading, podcasts, films etc. Anything that reliably engages my brain. I would add though that I try not to see these things as a distraction exactly, and it's important to welcome the thoughts in while doing these activities  - never push the thoughts away away. Activities shouldn't be for distraction per se but to teach your brain there are more important things than ocd.

[BelAnna]

Oh playstation sounds good- I think we got rid of ours unfortunately! I might try other games though and other forum users might find them a useful distraction too.

What kind of writing do you enjoy? fiction or writing journals/both? I've been keeping journals recently but might try some creative writing as it's less introspective / likely to end up being about my OCD!

Thanks Gingerbreadgirl! that's really helpful! 

[Ocd10]

Hello!

It can certainly be useful, and important, to refocus your attention after doing an exposure and response prevention exercise.

It could be anything, from making a nice hot drink, doing something arty, or perhaps playing a game or doing a jigsaw with someone, even just chatting away to family or friends (about something non-OCD!) or cuddling a pet. Watching the TV or listening to music can be good too, as well as going for a walk or doing something sporty.

Personally, I try to think of this as refocusing rather than distraction, as distraction during an ERP exercise is something to try to avoid.

I agree with gingerbreadgirl that you don’t want to be trying to push away the thoughts - just let them come, and go again. 

Mindfulness techniques, grounding techniques, relaxation or imagery can help with that bit too.

hope that helps.

OCD10 :) 

[lostinme]

9 hours ago, BelAnna said:

Hello,

Just that really- which distraction techniques/activities do you find most helpful when you are trying to shift your focus from OCD? 

The thing is BelAnna you have to be really careful not to use distraction as an avoidance, whilst any distraction technique is useful to shift your focus away from the OCD, you have to be really careful that it isn’t used for avoidance purposes. I think the best distraction technique when you need to shift your focus away from the OCD is to refocus your attention back to what it is you was doing at the time, whether it be reading a book, watching tv, cleaning etc 

[taurean]

23 minutes ago, lostinme said:

I think the best distraction technique when you need to shift your focus away from the OCD is to refocus your attention back to what it is you was doing at the time, whether it be reading a book, watching tv, cleaning etc 

Exactly what I was thinking. Great stuff lost. 

[BelAnna]

3 hours ago, Ocd10 said:

Hello!

It can certainly be useful, and important, to refocus your attention after doing an exposure and response prevention exercise.

It could be anything, from making a nice hot drink, doing something arty, or perhaps playing a game or doing a jigsaw with someone, even just chatting away to family or friends (about something non-OCD!) or cuddling a pet. Watching the TV or listening to music can be good too, as well as going for a walk or doing something sporty.

Personally, I try to think of this as refocusing rather than distraction, as distraction during an ERP exercise is something to try to avoid.

I agree with gingerbreadgirl that you don’t want to be trying to push away the thoughts - just let them come, and go again. 

Mindfulness techniques, grounding techniques, relaxation or imagery can help with that bit too.

hope that helps.

OCD10

 

1 hour ago, lostinme said:

The thing is BelAnna you have to be really careful not to use distraction as an avoidance, whilst any distraction technique is useful to shift your focus away from the OCD, you have to be really careful that it isn’t used for avoidance purposes. I think the best distraction technique when you need to shift your focus away from the OCD is to refocus your attention back to what it is you was doing at the time, whether it be reading a book, watching tv, cleaning etc 

 

41 minutes ago, taurean said:

Exactly what I was thinking. Great stuff lost. 

Thanks guys, that makes sense. I'm not so much using distraction as a way to totally avoid the thoughts but rather as a way to stop ruminating/worrying! So whilst acknowledging the purple elephant (i.e. if you try not to think of a purple elephant then you cannot help but think about just how purple and elephanty it is!) I use distraction techniques to focus my attention elsewhere.

Edited October 14, 2018 by BelAnna

[OB1]

Hi BelAnna

I find it very hard to refocus and accept the thoughts (I'm still learning) but am wary of using it as a compulsion as the other posts have also indicated.  I guess we're just trying to shift our thinking behaviour into a different direction but there's a sometimes overwhelming urge not to let go because our OCD brain tells us it's dangerous/risky...   

Things that I 'get lost' in tend to be physical like off road running or mountain biking where my mind and body are fully engaged in the moment as they say or editing a film or taking photos.  On a similar topic one of my favourite books is called Finding your Element by a guy called Ken Robinson, he talks about why it's important to find the things that you feel engaged by (also known as being in the zone).  I think it's very relevant to OCD/mental health as whenever I'm in my element (the zone) there's no space for OCD.  I found it very helpful in general mental health/life development.

[efes]

Trying to just do what I want. I thought I was doing just that, but I realized that I have to do what I want, what I really really want. Joke aside, I think you get what I mean, like, not avoiding things. 

[beckyboo]

I think its really important to find a healthy distraction that you really have an interest in that you can fully engage with. Doing something for the purpose of distraction / avoiding ive found doesnt work. I started going to the gym for the only purpose of getting rid of the anxiety / low moods / stopping thoughts once i felt better and more level i stopped going.