Distraction techniques

If you’re feeling anxious or stressed, it can be helpful to focus on what’s going on around you instead of focusing on what’s going on inside your body.

Types of distraction techniques

There are different distraction techniques. In time you may come up with some of your own too.

You could:

count backwards from 100 in threes – for example, ‘100, 97, 94, 91…’
listen to music
count all the red objects you can see
repeat the words of a song in your head or out loud
do something you enjoy that needs focus – like knitting, sewing, reading or watching a TV show

If you can, go outside to sit or walk. Try to focus on the world around you. For example, feel the air on your face and the ground under your feet. Look around at everything that’s going on and listen to all the sounds.

Another distraction technique is to picture something or someone that makes you feel happy and relaxed. For example, you could picture your favourite place in your mind, and imagine yourself there with your favourite person, or your pet.