DBT Skill: Distracting for Relief of Obsessive or Ruminating Thoughts (OCD, BPD)



From time to time we all deal with thoughts that are distressing. If there isn't much you can do in the moment to change the circumstances causing you distress, one way to skillfully cope with the flood of thoughts is to mindfully distract yourself.  This doesn't mean that you pretend that the problem isn't there -- of course you know it is. It just means that you are consciously choosing to give yourself a break from dwelling on it for a little while.

Today I was ruminating and obsessing over a certain thought over which I had no control. I realize that this glitch in my thought process is probably due to some extra stress that I'm facing. Because I'm aware of this and the fact that it is only causing me more distress to keep obsessing, I've chosen to distract in a few ways, including:


  • Studying Spanish on Rosetta Stone.
  • Watching a Christmas movie with Spanish audio. (I don't understand much, but the parts I do get are pretty exciting. This takes A LOT of my focus on and attention,making it a great Distraction activity).
  • Chatting on Twitter

Are you currently having distressing thoughts over things you can't control?  What activities might you engage in to distract yourself for a bit?

Thanks for reading.
More Soon.


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