Anxiety Recovery: Is Distraction A Good Plan? (Episode 021)
Disordered: Anxiety Help
Josh Fletcher and Drew Linsalata
4.9 • 665 Ratings
🗓️ 4 August 2023
⏱️ 34 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
This week on Disordered Josh and Drew tackle the topic of distraction. Trying to find ways to distract yourself when anxious is a common and popular strategy, but is it a good strategy? The answer is no ... and yes!
In this episode, we look at how distraction is almost always going to be part of the equation no matter what we do, why intent matters, and how using distraction as a way to focus on something other than how you feel teaches us important recovery lessons.
Bonus: Listen to Josh and Drew do an epic role-play where Josh plays the triggered amygdala and Drew plays the wise mind guiding us through acknowledgment and intentional focus. Distraction ... used in a positive way!
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Disclaimer: Disordered is not therapy or a replacement for therapy. Listening to Disordered does not create a therapeutic relationship between you and the hosts of the podcast. Information here is provided for psychoeducational purposes. As always, when you have questions about your own well-being, please consult your mental health and/or medical care providers. If you are having a mental health crisis, always reach out immediately for in-person help.
Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | Often they'll hear people like you and I say, well, we shouldn't use distraction as a primary strategy. |
| 0:07.0 | But I'm distracting. Aren't I distracting? Aren't I supposed to just be completely still and sit and allow my anxiety to consume me if I do anything else isn't that distraction? |
| 0:15.0 | The biggest rule in my practice is anything but rumination, ABR, and distraction is one step above that. |
| 0:23.6 | I always like to bring it back to the intent. |
| 0:25.6 | If you're doing it to run away from the panic attack or to blot it out or to put a fire hose on the fire, |
| 0:31.6 | maybe nuts or great. |
| 0:32.6 | Positive distraction can be reframed as I'm choosing to focus on something else that isn't compulsively checking and scanning myself and ruminating. |
| 0:41.7 | Let me just pay attention to something else because I can. |
| 0:44.5 | You get to pick what you do. |
| 0:46.3 | Just don't do it with the intent of rescuing yourself or getting away from it or running from it. |
| 0:53.0 | Welcome to Disordered. |
| 0:55.0 | Today's episode title is, but isn't that distraction? |
| 0:59.0 | My name is Joshua Fletcher, also known as Anxiety Josh, and I'm a psychotherapist who specializes |
| 1:04.0 | in working with anxiety disorders, more so a previous sufferer. |
| 1:08.0 | I'm based in Manchester in the UK. |
| 1:10.0 | And I am Drew Lin Salada, co-host of Disordered. I'm a graduate student and clinical mental |
| 1:14.7 | health counseling. I am on route to being a licensed therapist here in the state of New York |
| 1:19.2 | in the U.S. And I'm an author and a podcast on anxiety disorders and also a former sufferer. |
| 1:24.6 | It was so much fun. It was fun. I highly recommend. |
| 1:27.3 | Time. Yeah. Yeah yeah 10 out of 10 |
| 1:29.1 | would not repeat um interesting though i wouldn't regret i don't regret having my anxiety |
| 1:34.8 | disorders no me either i would do it all again yeah yeah i changed as a person yeah become more empathetic |
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