Over the past four years, I’ve learned a lot about the role distractions play in our emotional well-being. On the surface, distractions often have a negative connotation . In therapy, we’re often taught to face our feelings, thoughts, and emotions head-on instead of “distracting” ourselves from them. But as I’ve come to realize, distractions aren’t always as negative as they’re made out to be. The key is understanding the difference between healthy and unhealthy distractions — a line that’s more blurred than we might think.
A distraction, in its simplest form, is something that pulls your attention away from what you’re focused on. It can interrupt your thoughts and make it difficult to concentrate, but that can be incredibly helpful, especially when you’re caught in cycles of overthinking. Whether you’re ruminating on past mistakes or worrying about what’s ahead, distractions can provide a “timeout”.
The challenge comes when we try to navigate whether these distractions are serving us or hindering us. Unhealthy distractions involve escaping from uncomfortable feelings entirely, masking them rather than allowing them to exist. When you are engaging in unhealthy distraction, you may be purposefully running away from a thought. Healthy distractions, however, redirect your focus in a way that pulls you back into the present moment — reconnecting you with the physical world rather than escaping your thoughts. It is a conscious choice and a shift of mindset that takes time to develop. With this method, you are training your brain to recognize that negative emotions are welcome to come and go instead of running from them or ignoring them all together.
For me, when negative emotions overwhelm me, it’s easy to fall into a spiral of self-destructive thinking. But I’ve learned to resist that pull by engaging in something physical. I don’t try to force the negative thoughts away or avoid them. Instead, I let them come and go, choosing to refocus on a task that grounds me in the moment. This approach helps me train my brain to acknowledge these emotions as fleeting visitors rather than threats that must be eliminated.
One of my most effective tools in staying grounded is to dance it out. I’ve been dancing for as long as I can remember, and the dance studio has always been a safe space where I can reconnect with my body and my emotions. There was a time when the studio was the only place I would leave my house to go. It wasn’t that dance made my depression or anxiety disappear, but when I danced, it gave me a sense of purpose and control in a way that words couldn’t. It also helped with the depersonalization I sometimes experience, a symptom of severe anxiety.
When I’m overwhelmed, dancing allows me to express what I can’t always say. It’s a healthy distraction because it forces me to be present, physically involved, and connected to my body — an important reminder that I am here, I am whole, and I am allowed to feel what I’m feeling.
At the end of the day, the goal isn’t to run from our emotions but to let them come and go without letting them consume us. Healthy distractions, like dance for me, help us navigate the complexities of our thoughts and emotions while still being kind to ourselves in the process. ~ Juliana C.
Works Cited: Godwin, Jeremy. “Let’s Talk about… Distractions.” Let’s Talk About Mental Health, 25 Sept. 2021, letstalkaboutmentalhealth.com.au/2021/03/07/distractions/.
