I’m so delighted to have another guest blog post from Emily this week, sharing her experience of how mindfully refocusing your attention can work to calm anxiety and hypothetical worries, as well as a few suggestions for ways we can all try to distract ourselves!
When it comes to worries, the best option is always to acknowledge them and work out a way to overcome them, however this isn’t always possible. Often, we find ourselves having what's known as hypothetical worries (“what if…?” worries) and in this case, overcoming the worry can be very difficult as there is no certainty to what will happen in the future. In these situations we find the most effective method is to mindfully refocus your attention.
Mindfully refocusing your attention is where you find an activity to distract yourself from the worried thought, meaning that rather than sitting and obsessing over an anxious thought or worry, you are carrying out an activity that makes you feel good. There are many different ways to mindfully refocus your attention and different people will find different things effective, it’s all down to personal choice. A few examples of some of the ways I mindfully refocus when I’m feeling anxious are:
Crochet - I find that it’s relaxing while also being a challenge to keep your brain busy, and it’s always great to see what you have created in the end! If you would like to try crochet but don’t know how, try watching a Youtube video to help you get started:
Colouring - It’s another activity that I find is peaceful but involves focus, I find it very effective for clearing my mind when I have an anxious thought
Going for a walk - This can be quite a peaceful and calming way to take your mind off your worries, fresh air and being around nature can be very helpful
Yoga/Exercise - I have never been the most energetic of people, however I have always found whenever I exercise I always feel so much better for it, it’s definitely a good method of distraction
Read a book - There’s nothing better than getting lost in a good book, and it’s a great way to divert attention away from worries!
Light a candle and take a bath - There is something so satisfying about watching the flame of a candle and being comforted by the warm water, it’s definitely a great way to relax. Why not try one of our new WorryTree candles?
I love using these activities to mindfully refocus my attention away from worries, however there are plenty of other ways to mindfully refocus if none of these do the trick, if you’d like to hear more, check out this website with some more ideas: https://ibpf.org/articles/18-ways-to-distract-from-anxiety/
And if you’re interested in trying more techniques for managing worry and anxiety then why not try our new WorryTree Guided Workbook, available over in our Mindful Products section.