# Use of Distraction



## BBolen Ph.D (Nov 9, 2000)

Distraction is useful both for reducing anxiety and as a way to manage pain. If you focus on your pain or the cause of your anxiety, it only serves to heighten these sensations. People who have been traumatized tend to become hypervigilant to cues associated with the trauma. For individuals with IBS, this hypervigilance may manifest itself as checking constantly for internal symptoms. Like worrying a sore tooth, once you start looking for symptoms, you tend to find them, then get anxious about them, which then can set off the process that causes symptoms in the first place.To counteract hypervigilance, you may need to actively distract yourself. Distraction can be behavioral, e.g. working a crossword puzzle, talking with a friend, typing on a computer, deep breathing techniques. Cognitive distraction, can be a conscious refocusing of attention, e.g. "I will listen carefully to the discussion, or focus on the decorations rather than focus on my internal sensations", or the use of calming visualization or meditation.What have members found to be helpful in distracting themselves from a focus on symptoms?


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## BQ (May 22, 2000)

LOL I put my house on the market and yes the increased stress has prompted more bathroom time, _but_ I'm not worrying about my IBS symptoms very much at all. I'm too busy and have loads to do.







However I have at other times gotten outside with the kids. Just hanging around in the backyard and playing with them or reading. I have also gone for walks and rides. I have used exercise as a distraction. Reading a good book always helps to take my mind off of things. When in severe pain I try to walk through the day as much as is possible as if I'm not in pain. I try to keep up with the chores, plans etc. I may have to cancel something but I try to strike a balance beween rest and activity. When the pain has been severe, I try to use relaxation techniques, hypnotherapy, meditation, listening to some soothing favorite music. I have also done what you have mentioned; I call a friend or family member and catch up with them and their lives. I also like to try to read when I'm hurtin bad. (Some books are better at distracting then others







)So there are others things beside selling my house.







Thanks Doc.BQ


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## eric (Jul 8, 1999)

Thanks Dr Bolen, I use playing or listening to music, work somewhat, kayaking when I can, helping others I think also helps, movies sometimes, the computer,studies I do like astronomy, hypnotherapy of course, my friends, an a scotch sometimes lol. just kidding I don't like scotch.







I don't drink really but I will have an occasional drink or two to relax or have a good time sometimes, but its pretty rare to for me to do that really and I usally suffer very badly for doing it.







I do spend quite a bit of brain power even calming normal emotions and anxiety levels and try not to get to excited or to down if I can help it, but try to stay focused on other things and balanced.


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## JeanG (Oct 20, 1999)

Computer games!!! lol I can get engrossed and shut the rest of the world out.I don't consciously think about distraction, but have noticed that the more I'm busy at other things like work, hypno, walking, reading, games, etc, the less I think about my body.JeanG


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## cloverleaf (Dec 18, 2001)

Dr. Bolen-I use distraction often when in a stressful situation, but sometimes I'm not so successful, especially when I should be concentrating on what someone is saying (i.e., an interview). I am more successful in using visualizations (gained in hypnotherapy) when a situation allows me to "space out" for a few minutes. It allows me to regain compusure, somewhat, and make it through the meeting, lecture, or whatever. When I'm not able to "space out" or visualize, it's really difficult to NOT concentrate on my bowels, etc. Is it just practice, practice, practice, that I need to do? Or can I use a specific strategy that has worked for your patients in deterring the mind away from the gut? My hypnotherapist suggested in my hypnotherapy that I should imagine that whenever my gut moves/rumbles, I should think of it as healing itself (thus connoting rumbles=good). It works a little.What can I do BEFORE a big event to set myself up for success? What needs to go through my mind? I know that visualizing a bad scenario, then immediately visualizing a good scenario works for me. This method was suggested by a therapist who treated my IBS like a panic/anxiety disorder.


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## SteveE (Jan 7, 1999)

I guess it depends on the context for me. At home, I find a good comedy on DVD (with no negatively distracting commercials) is good medicine if I'm really laid-up with cramps. In other cases a nice walk helps. At work (and this occured VERY recently), I've found that sometimes even if the abdomen says "Go home and slap a heating pad on me!" I'm occasionally able to just emerse myself as much as I possibly can in the tasks before me. I often find the abdomen is not talking back as much within 10-20 minutes.I'm also well aware of focusing too much on a gut problem. Last week, I felt a nasty gut twinge and my first thought was "Oh no! Not today!" because it wasn't a good day to be home from work. I felt a little trapped and I think that focusing on that trapped feeling made everything worse than it would've been otherwise.


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## pariclete (May 14, 2002)

I would say that reading is the number one way that I distract myself from my symptoms. I cannot get on public transportation without something to read. Reading distracts me from worrying about my IBS symptoms.


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## Guest (Aug 23, 2002)

deep breathing is amazing and if you can practice focused relaxation it's great. it gets progressively easier to trigger the relaxation response.in addition, when negative thoughts enter the mind I acknowledge it by saying, 'that's a thought' and move on because if I stop to analyze too much the worry cycle continues. I also try to stay 'in the moment' because it was a bad habit for me to let imagination get the better of me. I have less and less pain but when I do it helps to distract myself and remember what I am trying to do at that moment, be it an activity, conversation, etc. Combined with the breathing, I also do some other physical 'therapy' including stretches, mild aerobics. You can't always expect to take a deep breath after the fact because your chest will be too tight to allow it. You need to combine aerobic activity to open everything up on a regular basis. I have also tried imagery and visualization to a lesser extent and they are helpful tools.I truly believe we cannot afford to wait until the symptoms happen before helping ourselves. We need ongoing 'maintenance' or if you want, 'prevention' to keep the mind, body, spirit and emotions healthy.


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## LTL (Dec 18, 2001)

Hi Dr. Bolen,Great question. For me, I had a long commute in sometimes heavy traffic. That was an IBS nightmare. I found that Bible Tapes were the 'cure' - I got so involved in listening to the tape that I actually looked forward to the commute!!! When I learned about the laws that God gave for good health (which we now understand, thanks to microbiology) and the detailed prophecies that he gave sometimes thousands of years before their fulfillment ... for me, this was incredibly fascinating, and while listening, I forgot all about IBS. When I got stuck in traffic my attitude changed from "Oh, no!!" to "Great! I get to listen even longer today!". (Incidentally, there are hundreds of tapes in the series that I used - it takes about 2 yrs to listen to them all, at one tape per day - so it was something new every day. They are now available free [as downloadable files] over the internet.)


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## PeacefulHart (Jun 26, 2002)

Distraction is one of the very best therapeutic tools.... albeit temporary. Getting out of myself and giving of myself to others in ways that are amenable for all parties concerned has been an incredible healing element in my life.Even when I am in pain and fatigued to the point that I have to run to the bathroom at work to cry, I still wear this smile and persist. And I will do so until the day that I die.


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## eric (Jul 8, 1999)

bump


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## ohnometo (Sep 20, 2001)

Someone had posted this in the meeting place..I found it to be a wonderful help when my mind gets sidetracked...It is so fun to do







http://www.permadi.com/java/spaint/spaint.html


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## zayaka26 (Jul 5, 2001)

I keep busy. In my work stress is always present but very few times I leave the classroom because I am so busy all the time. It is the "waiting" for something that gets me anxiuos. If some idea comes to mind and I do it right away without giving it much thought; itis more likely to be just fine than if I think of it in advance.Breathing also helps.


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## eric (Jul 8, 1999)

Thanks Donna, I love that little java applet, it was orginally done form a guy from Berkeley or Harvard or something like that and they took it off there and I was looking for it and did not find it, so thanks, its a cool thing.







Back in my bookmarks.







I really hope more people take advange of Dr Bolens very kind help and expertize in the distraction arena for one, because its a great tool for IBS I believe.







Thanks again Dr Bolen.


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## BQ (May 22, 2000)

Bump! Another good one.







BQ


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## Joan Gregg (Jun 6, 2000)

I force myself to read, a distraction for me. I also take three deep breaths. When there is movement in my colon, I tell myself that is normal--it is NOT pain. I find reading my husband's or daughters magazines more distracting than reading my own--forbidden fruit syndrome?I also use repetitive prayer (I'm Catholic), now seen to be a form of meditation, as it IS repetitive.I am receiveing cognitive/behavioral therapy to handle the stresses of my life that aggravate my IBS.I also force myself to wear makeup & jewelry everyday. This fights my depression, as I feel I'm at the best, at least, what I can achieve at my age.


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## Joan Gregg (Jun 6, 2000)

Oh, since we posters can't edit anymore, I neglected to add that every night upon retiring I re-listen to one of Mike's tapes. I finished the series a year ago and find tape 2 sides 1 & 2 particularly helpful.I also try that deep relaxation (clench & release) at least in the evening.


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## Guest (Jan 23, 2003)

Distraction is definitely beneficial. Depending on the particular distraction, I may or may not feel better afterwards. What I like to do is get myself so physically tired (like after a dance workout) that I am literally too tired to think.My heart still isn't in it, but I am plunging right back into dance.....forcing myself. If I don't, I'll just fall deeper and deeper into depression. They want me whether I can pay or not. I'll pay... and if sometimes I can't, I'll offer to do something to make up for it.Gee... B.Q. I see my other alias was once afoot here....and I haven't used that screen name in months. She was a little daffy but was always lookin' for fun.The original post and ensuing thread is a worthwhile read once again.Thanx, Evie


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## modular mary (Oct 13, 2002)

I'm glad this post got bumped because I hadnt seen it...i love this topic becausenot only do i have IBS and worry about what my gut is doing, but i also have OCD centered around fear of vomiting....so i feel like i have spent most of my life 'body checking'.....and its so true you can turn a stomach twinge into a stomach ache with your mind.....i am always amazed when i get really distracted at how i hadnt been checking my body and i feel fine! but it seems to take a lot to get me into that state......so far i have found the best distractions to be:a good movie or tv showplaying with my kittentalking on the phone with a friendthe IBS chat roominane computer games like solitaireworkingcleaning the housereadingorganizing somethingriding my bicyclei have found that since i've been on zoloft, it is easier to distract that loud inner voice and make it quieter.....i am finally able to actually take deep breaths too....my new years resolution was to develop some hobbies, so i am learning how to sew and am practicing embroidery...hopefully these will be good distractionsdistractions are good but being stern with yoursefl can be good too./....OCD makes me constantly doubt myself so if i just think, firmly: You are NOT getting sick....your tummy is just rumbling...they do that and its ok..now forget about it.......that will often help the nagging questions to subside....even as i sit here and type this my insides feel wierd and i have checked every movement.....i suppose i will always be like this, but i am glad i have reached a point where the checking doesnt constantly drive me to a panic attack....i think there are better things i could be doing with my brain though....mm


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