# Anxiety Disorders > Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD) >  >  What is your distraction?

## Chantellabella

Life is 24/7

Sometimes pain can be 24/7

So how do you distract from life or pain when it gets too much?


Just for some honest introspection, list what behaviors you do to distract 
and then when you finish, maybe go back and rate them healthy or unhealthy.


Examples:

I distract with 

arguing - unhealthy
making movies - healthy
drawing - healthy
eating - unheathy when eating sweets
exercising - healthy
talking fast - healthy to talk but not to the point of annoying people
dissociating - unhealthy now
computer games- unhealthy for me because I don't exercise
photography - healthy


Your turn. ....

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## CaduceusGUILT

I find socializing to be my favourite distraction of all, especially since it helps me with my anxiety. Other than that, I enjoy reading, watching movies/TV, and playing video games distractions but they're not as healthy.  ::D:

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## Chantellabella

Thanks Parakeet and CaduceusGuilt, for sharing your thoughts. It's cool to see so many positive ways to distract.  And yeah, I distract a lot with TV lately (never used to) and computer which keeps me from exercising. I used to exercise while watching movies, so I need to go back to that.

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## L

Really loud music on my iPod takes unbearable sad feelings away
Emercing myself at work in the nursing home distracts me
Studying and reading for college
Going for a drive
baking
The internet

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## Sagan

Watching science documentaries/lectures, reading, Watching interesting YouTube videos. Exploring back roads and getting my car stuck  ::):

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## Monroe

When I'm overwhelmed with too many emotions or too many thoughts, my most effective way to help would be turning on some of my favourite music loudly, and trying to concentrate distinctly on the songs.  Trying to pay attention to every instrument, every lyric, the singer's voice, everything. Concentrating like that helps with anxious thoughts. I also read to escape into another "life", to distract from my own. Coming on the internet as well, although sometimes internet makes it worse depending on what I'm doing or reading.

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## Chantellabella

I like going for a drive too. Kind of makes you disappear, huh?

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## Chantellabella

Another traveler. And hi, my friend. I'm glad to see you here.

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## Chantellabella

I hear you about loud music. I can get lost in it also.

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## Sparrow

I distract myself by:

Dissociating 
Reading
Cleaning
Internet games
Working

I consider all of the above to be unhealthy because they cause me to procrastinate and avoid way too much.

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## Member11

Watching TV shows, music, eating, walking, talking with people, debating, PC games and riding public transport to no-where.

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## Anteros

The internet, reading, food, sleeping (when I can fall asleep), taking excessively long showers,  painting & drawing.

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## Chantellabella

Thanks Sparrow, MaxPower and Seagull for sharing your distractions. I also dissociate which used to be a good thing, but now, not so good. I love to paint and draw also to relieve pain, anxiety or depression.

And lately, MaxPower I've been doing the eating and watching TV thing. Those are two distractions I'm trying to break.  ::):

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## Kesky

Daydreaming about distracting activities
Writing
Running
Long showers too, lol, especially in the winter
Internet

.....what sparrow said

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## billius

Working out, green tea, music, metal and anything that tastes good in a vapor genie, all pretty healthy I think

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## Yellow

The internet, reading, drawing, listening to music

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## Cam

Unhealthy:

-Internet
-Oversleeping
-Daydreaming 
-Netflix

Healthy:

-Exercise
-Reading
-Teaching myself Guitar
-Homework

Neutral:

-Sports
-Listening to Music
-

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## Chantellabella

Sounds like you guys and ladies have found some good ways to distract. I mean things like exercise and stuff can really make me forget some things like pain and loneliness. I think I have to add playing with kids as a healthy distraction for me also.

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## brighter

Reading, watching TV and movies, and taking long walks to nowhere in particular.

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## FireIsTheCleanser

Napping
Watching TV
Playing video games 
Drawing

Only drawing seems to be the healthy one. I used to play guitar but I got kind of bored of that.

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## Secretly Pretentious

Brazilian Jiu Jitsu............Good!
Internet...........................Bad!
TV......................................Bad!
Sleeping...........................meh, neutral
Eating...............................Bad!
Piano................................Good!

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## Chantellabella

I know I have an addictive personality and can get hooked on one thing easily. I'm trying to mix around my distractions and not do one thing over and over. That's hard to do sometimes though, because I can relax when I'm distracted.

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## Chieve

computer
games
tv

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## Chantellabella

> computer
> games
> tv



And here I was telling you about the arcade here.  ::):  But you know, it can also be a good thing though when my alternate would be to sit and feel lonely.

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## sanspants

--Exercise (drop and give myself 50...so dorky)
--Milkshake the cat! And taking her outside so we can both soak up the vitamin D. 
--The Chicken Dance. No seriously, dancing is good. 
--Wrenching on the car or planning a modification
--Building nerdy models of cars because I can't afford 14 real ones. 
--Riding the motorcycle (it's borrowed, but that's ok). 
--Reading up on foreign lands I'd like to visit. 
--Learning German  ::): : 
--Pizza. 

Wrenching on the car or planning a modification
--

Driving!  
--Riding a borrowed motorcycle because I don't have one yet  ::):  
--Take the shortest path out the door, and take the cat so we can both enjoy the

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## sanspants

--Exercise (drop and give myself 50...so dorky)
--Milkshake the cat! And taking her outside so we can both soak up the vitamin D. 
--The Chicken Dance. No seriously, dancing is good. 
--Wrenching on the cars or driving one
--Building nerdy models of cars because I can't afford 14 real ones. 
--Riding the motorcycle (it's borrowed, but that's ok). 
--Reading up on foreign lands I'd like to visit. 
--Learning German
--Intarnets.  
--Bacon. Or pizza. Or pizza with bacon.

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## Chantellabella

> --Exercise (drop and give myself 50...so dorky)
> --Milkshake the cat! And taking her outside so we can both soak up the vitamin D. 
> --The Chicken Dance. No seriously, dancing is good. 
> --Wrenching on the cars or driving one
> --Building nerdy models of cars because I can't afford 14 real ones. 
> --Riding the motorcycle (it's borrowed, but that's ok). 
> --Reading up on foreign lands I'd like to visit. 
> --Learning German
> --Intarnets.  
> --Bacon. Or pizza. Or pizza with bacon.



Great list!

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