When we think of distraction, we tend to associate it with all negative things. After all, isn’t distraction what stands in the way of productivity and success? Although distraction can sometimes be something negative in our lives, it is also something that is crucial to our well-being, healthy distractions of course.

Being a college student, I have realized how easy it is to get completely consumed by feelings of anxiety and stress. Sometimes these feelings seem so inescapable. We think that isolating ourselves and sitting in our dorm rooms doing absolutely nothing will somehow relieve ourselves of these feelings. However, I have found that this, more often than not, makes me feel worse, as it tends to force you to focus more on these feelings.

What I have found works best for me when I feel this way is to keep myself busy. Next time you are feeling super stressed, plan little things to do for yourself to distract your mind. Rather than focusing on these negative feelings, take a break and hit the gym or even go visit your friends for a little while. Even if you don’t feel that you have enough time to do so, this is crucial. If you build these mental breaks into your schedule, not only will you be more productive, but you will feel mentally refreshed and ready to conquer anything.

These healthy distractions benefit us in far more ways than we realize. When something unfavorable happens to us, we tend to keep replaying it in our minds, and are unable to stop thinking about it. As a result, we are unable to escape the fears and worries that this arouses in our minds. This is where healthy distraction saves us. We are able to take ourselves away from these feelings and break this cycle of negative thinking.

No, these distractions do not completely remove our stressors and what is bothering us. However, they provide a temporary mental escape, allowing us to return to and tackle this issue with a fresh mind.

Even the action of recognizing our feelings of extreme stress or anxiety and realizing that we must do something to help ourselves is a step in the right direction. As they say, the first step to recovery is realizing there is a problem!

Having feelings of stress, anxiety or even sadness is simply inevitable. It is how we handle these feelings that matters. We all need a break once in a while, and finding healthy distractions is one of the best ways to do so.

"Life is 10% what happens to us and 90% how we react to it." -Dennis P. Kimbro