Have you ever noticed that when you are wrapped in doing something you love that time passes in a blink? Isn’t it amazing that when you are watching your favorite show the end comes before you are ready for it? Or when you are with friends at dinner and suddenly the sun’s down and you’ve stayed up way too late? All of these things are distractions. When the brain is busy with something we enjoy, it fails to notice the passage of time.
On the other hand, when you’re stuck with an unpleasant task or experiencing something you would rather not time slows down and it feels like you are stuck in an eternal moment. In life, unpleasantness is a given but in recovery, especially early on, those eternal moments can be catastrophic. So, you need to find ways to make the time pass as quickly as possible until you are back on stable footing and are more capable of looking at things with a detached and critical eye.
How to Use Distraction
As people living in recovery, you are often faced with dealing cravings, with vivid memories of moments you might want to forget or strong emotions, like anger or sadness or anxiety. These can seem to be so distressing that you think there is no getting through to the end of it. When you were actively addicted, the drug passed the time for you. It was easy and handy and you knew that it was always there. Once you have decided to get sober, however, you have to find healthier ways to get through.
The most common method of distraction is to find someone with whom you can talk. Ideally, it would be someone with whom we have history, someone who knows what we have been through and can help us see what is really happening compared to what is just in our head, someone we trust to be kind but honest and can call us out when we turn back to addicted thinking. Once the moment has passed, you will find yourself feeling stronger and in better control. It is surprising how much easier the rough parts get when we have someone to talk us through it.
Do you need help learning how to use distraction to get through the rough moments? Are the rough moments taking over your life? It doesn’t have to be that way. At Fort Worth Recovery, we can help you learn the skills to get sober and stay that way. Call us today at 844.332.1807.
