The theme this past month has been about managing different aspects of my mental health as an adult. It’s not easy, and I am pretty sure the ways of managing are endless. But I wanted to talk about distractions, because sometimes we need them. And I am telling you, it’s fine to feed into them from time to time. Just make sure to address whatever you are distracting yourself from, when you are ready to face it.
Why a distraction is ok
Even though being an adult means we have to witness everyday of our lives, non-stop, there are ways to reduce that exposure. And that is what a distraction is for. It’s perfectly fine to have a distraction. We are made to feel like we need to be productive every second of the day, and forget that rest is a form of productivity. Life, the news, media and the obscene enormity that is the meaning of existence can be so consuming, and sometimes you just need a break from it all.
It is not a negative thing to need a break. Life as we know it is short, compared to the timescales of the earth existing. So, why not spend a few moments of it appreciating some peace, a distraction?
How I distract myself
I know people can turn to social media as a distraction, but I find that social media further highlights things that I need a distraction from. There have been days I am so restless, I go to IG or TikTok, scroll 3-4 videos and I’m unable to get swallowed by the very algorithm, designed to keep me glued to them. When this happens, I definitely know I need a real distraction.
Reading a distraction
I love reading, especially fictional books. What’s a better way of being distracted from reality, than falling into a fictional realm? Non-fiction books can be ok, but they literally are making me sit in reality and think introspectively. I don’t need that when I want to be distracted from my reality. So, spending time with characters of various mortal and immortal backgrounds, and seeing their worlds get built around me, is very necessary.
My parents used to tell me that the more I read, the more intelligent I will become. But if they had an idea on the kind of books I enjoyed, they would most likely take it back, haha. I think the faeries and sassy dragons are doing just as much to my brain as my Masters in Chemistry. (nothing at all to boost my intelligence 🤣).
I now have comfort books, which I read to try and ground me. Adulting has made reading books a little harder, but that’s where Audible has really saved me. I can take my books anywhere in my pocket. I am also the kind of reader to skip a paragraph for a mini spoiler. But I can’t fast forward on an audiobook without missing half the chapter. It has changed my reading experience, especially since if I like the book, I buy a paper copy, so I can read in tandem with the audiobook. Have you ever noticed that there are differences between the text and what the voice actor reads? Also, 99% of the books I read, I would mispronounce those names and words if I didn’t have the audiobook first.
Watching a distraction
Good ol’ fashioned television. I spent about £300 on my tv, and I have monthly subscriptions with several streaming providers. And yet when people ask me if I have seen the latest shows or movies, I will most likely have never heard of them, or never been inclined to watch them. Why? Because when I need a distraction, it’s normally because something in reality has caught me off-guard. And unless I know the show/movie is not going to have me drowning in suspense that will stop my heart, I don’t try new shows/movies.
I have my comfort shows like Friends, Bob’s Burger’s and nearly any Disney and Pixar movie made. And that’s where I go when I need a distraction. Something predictable and safe (to me). Beyond that, I don’t tend to watch tv, because my current favourite distraction is my blog universe.
My blog universe – a distraction
I have been trying to post once a week for the last 3 years. I have never done a full year, but I have done nearly 100 posts, which is equivalent to nearly 2 years of posting. After the stress of trying to think of content, I can easily lose myself in the creation part. Thinking of what images to put in my posts. How the website should look, to keep decent engagement. And don’t even get me about my socials. Over the last 12 months, my involvement on IG has increased and my confidence has improved.
I did a challenge through lent this year to post once a day, and even though it was hard, it allowed me to just be creative. Sometimes, I get so scared of what people will think of me, that I look for any distraction from social media. This challenge forced me not to shy away, and I was brave enough to create a TikTok account. I pretty much post the same things as I do on IG, but I have so much fun editing my videos, it’s a distraction from reality sometimes. The number of times I have created a video and been laughing at it (with pride and joy) has been really encouraging, and made me feel better about what I post, since I actually enjoy what I am creating.
What a distraction!
Reading and watching television has been my distractions all through my childhood. The blog is a new one I created in 2022. You can do trial and error to find a distraction that works for you (trial and error works for most things in adulting). I didn’t mention exercise/gym, as I wouldn’t go lift weights for a distraction, but I would go for a walk. Just don’t forget, once the distraction has served it’s purpose of allowing you to catch your breath; you need to get back on the reality train and deal with what made you leave it. (But you can try deal with the little fires first, no need to deal with the blaze, it’s already burning and you won’t have any water to stop the little fires when you’re done).
I hope you enjoyed this distraction post, I really needed it after the stress of focussing on content creation these last 6 weeks. And below is the summary of post in case you couldn’t read the full thing.
TL;DR
- It’s perfectly fine to have a distraction – we need them from time to time, we can’t be productive robots every single moment of each day.
- I get distracted by reading my books on audible, and if I have them in paper copy tandem listening and reading is double the immersive distraction.
- Most TV I watch is a distraction, so I always make sure it’s something that doesn’t make me feel like what I am seeking a distraction from. Safe to say cartoons and sitcoms are more my cup of tea.
- My blog universe is expanding, and is a welcome distraction from my reality. I have this site, this newsletter, IG and now TikTok!
- Use trial and error to find a distraction that works for you
- Don’t forget! Distractions are necessary in the short term, but the reality needs to be addressed at some point
