How to Distract Yourself From Anxiety: 17 Distraction Techniques for Anxiety

What Are Distraction Techniques?

Distraction techniques are strategies that intentionally avoid a problem in order to cope.¹ Common distraction techniques include watching television, engaging in a hobby, or going for a walk. Distraction techniques are helpful when the stressor is either unavoidable or uncontrollable.¹ They are commonly used as short-term interventions when someone is either unwilling or unable to confront a current stressor.

How Can Distraction Help With Anxiety?

Distraction can be used as a coping skill for anxiety when someone is still learning how to deal with the core issue of their anxiety or when their current ability to cope is limited. For example, distraction techniques such as breathing techniques or self-care activities may be taught early on in therapy to help a person with anxiety learn to distract from anxious thoughts with pleasant experiences.

Additionally, when someone with anxiety experiences an increase in life stressors or when their anxiety may peak into a panic attack, distraction can prevent an emotional crisis. For example, someone may use distractions when they notice their anxious thoughts spiraling or to prevent a panic attack.

Is Distraction a Healthy Way to Deal With Anxiety?

In the short term, distraction is a helpful strategy for coping with anxiety. Especially if a person’s ability to cope with their anxiety is low, such as during a family crisis. However, in the long term, distraction becomes unhelpful when it is the only coping mechanism used for anxiety. In this case, distraction can become a form of avoidance coping and create a cycle of anxiety.

Healthy Distraction Vs. Unhealthy Distraction for Anxiety

Healthy distractions are used in crisis situations or as short-term strategies to cope with anxiety. They may include pleasant activities such as engaging in hobbies, exercise, or supportive communities. Unhealthy distractions are distractions that cause harm to oneself or the people around one. They might include impulsive spending, co-dependent relationships, or drug and alcohol misuse. Additionally, distraction is unhealthy when it is the only form of coping a person uses.

For example, if you get into an argument with your partner and you become anxious that they may leave the relationship, it would be much better to have a conversation about what happened and create a plan to work through the disagreement rather than simply focus on them leaving. However, if you can’t have that conversation until you leave work for the day, distraction may be a good alternative to relieve your anxious thoughts. Distraction is a valuable tool in a broader toolkit for anxiety management.

17 Distraction Techniques for Anxiety

There are many ways people can distract themselves from anxiety. Not every technique will always work, so practicing multiple techniques and having several in your toolbox is important. When experiencing anxiety, it can be difficult to remember what techniques work for you. Because of this, it might be helpful to make a list of techniques you have tried so you have a menu to choose from. It is best to begin using distraction techniques when you first notice the symptoms of anxiety.

Here are seventeen distraction techniques for anxiety:

1. Move Your Body

During exercise, the brain releases “feel-good chemicals,” which result in us feeling happier or more content. Exercise helps anxiety by releasing stress.² Exercise helps your body learn to navigate the “fight or flight” response, which occurs during anxiety.² Regardless of which exercise you choose, you have the opportunity to focus on the task at hand, therefore distracting yourself from your anxiety.

2. Watch a Funny Movie or Video

When we are anxious, our sympathetic nervous system dominates us.³ Laughing stimulates the parasympathetic nervous system, also known as your “rest and digest system.” If you can laugh, your anxiety will decrease.

3. Try EFT Tapping

Tapping involves utilizing light and repetitive pressure on acupressure points to increase energy flow and promote relaxation. These pressure points include the outside edge of your hands, the top of your head, the middle of your forehead, the top of your eyebrow (near the bridge of your nose), the outer edge of your eyes, under your eyes, below your nose, your chin, your collar bones, the middle of your chest, and under your arms. You will want to ensure that you tap lightly, approximately 4-5 times.^4,5

4. Begin a Guided Meditation

Meditation for anxiety is another technique that activates the parasympathetic nervous system. Guided meditations, such as a body scan or a loving-kindness meditation, are great ways to distract from your anxiety and ground yourself. YouTube is an excellent resource for guided meditations. Numerous meditation apps, some without a subscription, can also be used.

5. Call a Friend

Calling a friend can be helpful because you can talk about something other than your current anxiety. It is up to you whether or not you share that you are struggling with anxiety.

6. Focus on Breathing

Breathing exercises for anxiety activate the parasympathetic nervous system. There are numerous options for breathing exercises, such as box breathing. To practice box breathing, you inhale for four seconds, hold your breath for four seconds, exhale for four seconds, and then hold your breath again for four seconds. Another technique is to breathe in slowly for seven seconds and then breathe out for seven seconds.

7. Practice Mindfulness

Practicing mindfulness for anxiety helps you learn how to live in the present moment. When we become worried about the future, we tend to become anxious. When we focus on the past, we become depressed. Mindfulness activities can include an array of options.

Consider using the 5-4-3-2-1 technique. In this technique, you notice five things you see around you, acknowledge four things you can touch around you, notice three things you hear, notice two things you can smell, and finally, acknowledge one thing you can taste.⁶

8. Listen to Binaural Music

Binaural beats for anxiety are a type of music in which two different frequencies are played. The brain interprets these frequencies as one tone to produce a different frequency.⁷ To utilize this distraction technique, you will need headphones and a device that can play music. There is a wide array of music choices available.

9. Use Aromatherapy

Aromatherapy is a natural remedy for anxiety and uses essential oils to improve your health or well-being. In addition to inhaling by facial steaming or diffusing, you may apply properly diluted essential oils to the skin. Jasmine, citrus, rose, and lavender oils have all been proven efficacious.⁸

10. Count Backward by a Challenging Number

Another helpful distraction technique to relieve anxiety is counting backward by a number, which is more challenging. For example, counting backwards by 3, 7, or 9. This requires more concentration than an easier number, such as 2, 5, or 10.

11. Play an Instrument

If you are musically talented, playing an instrument can also be helpful for distracting symptoms of anxiety. According to John Dani, PhD, chair of Neuroscience at Penn’s Perelman School of Medicine, “It engages every major part of the central nervous system.”⁹

12. Go for a Drive

Going for a drive can also be useful as a mindfulness activity. Taking in the sights, with the windows down, can allow you to be “in the moment” and take your mind off of your worries. Other ways to engage your senses might be through smells, tastes, sounds, and textures. For example, going on a drive with your favorite coffee through the countryside and noticing the sounds of nearby animals or events.

13. Use a Cold Water Bottle in the Middle of Your Forehead

Putting a cold water bottle (or a can of soda) in the middle of your forehead also initiates the parasympathetic nervous system and will result in an immediate calming effect on anxiety. The cold sensation stimulates your vagus nerve, which encourages your body to return your core temperature to normal. Triggering your vagus nerve in this way might encourage a slower heart rate, leading to general feelings of calmness. Make sure to check with your doctor if you have any health diagnoses that may interfere with slowing your heart rate.

14. Take a Hot Bath or Shower

A hot bath or shower is a simple and accessible way to distract yourself and stop an anxiety attack quickly. You can turn this into a mindfulness practice by noticing sights, sounds, smells, and textures during your shower or bath. For example, soothing scents such as lavender or chamomile may help you distract by engaging in your sense of smell.

15. Hug Someone/Physical Touch

Hugging someone (or experiencing physical touch) can offer comfort and let you know that you are not alone. Hugging or physical touch is also a simple way to engage the parasympathetic nervous system, which promotes general feelings of relaxation and calmness. It may be beneficial to create a routine for daily physical connection, such as making sure to hug your partner when you get home from work.

16. Be Creative

Art projects, such as painting, crocheting, or making pottery, can also provide a helpful distraction from anxious thoughts. When we engage in creative projects, our brains are stimulated in the present moment and away from other unhelpful thought patterns.

We are also more likely to experience shifts in perspective, especially if we are using art projects to process emotional experiences. If this feels like it might be helpful for you, consider searching for a certified art therapist to help you explore anxiety management through art.

17. Play a Game on Your Phone/Computer

Playing a video game on your phone or computer has also been proven to reduce stress and anxiety.¹⁰ It may be beneficial to find games that have gentle, soothing graphics and softer components. For example, finding games that play relaxing music and have simple goals might be easier to accomplish than fast-paced, multi-goal games.

When Does Distraction for Anxiety Become Unhealthy?

It is important to not over-rely on distraction techniques to reduce anxiety because, in the long term, the anxiety will return. Chronic anxiety leads to increased cortisol levels, which leads to a host of health problems. Distraction also creates a form of disassociation, which can decrease your quality of life and prevent you from being emotionally present with those you love.

Other Ways to Cope With Anxiety

Distraction techniques can be good short-term solutions to relieve anxiety. However, professional anxiety treatments may be needed to address the root causes of anxiety. Other ways to cope with anxiety include the ABC approach, journaling, healthier eating and using anxiety supplements, and lifestyle modifications, among others. When struggling with anxiety, it is important to utilize a holistic approach to manage your symptoms best.

Treatment options for anxiety include:

• Cognitive behavior therapy: CBT for anxiety teaches you to change your thoughts so that you can reduce anxiety. Psychoeducation, pattern tracking, thought stopping, thought reframing, challenging thoughts, problem-solving, and relaxation techniques are all part of CBT.
• Dialectical behavior therapy: DBT for anxiety uses emotional regulation, mindfulness, distress tolerance, and interpersonal skills to reduce anxiety.
• Brainspotting: Brainspotting is a body-based therapy that allows you to explore where your anxious thoughts may originate and make connections about how these patterns developed.
• Somatic experiencing: Somatic experiencing is another body-based technique that involves “getting into your body” and being mindful about where you feel the anxiety so that your body can complete the cycle related to anxiety.
• Hypnotherapy: Hypnotherapy for anxiety allows you to enter a calm state with the guidance of a hypnotherapy professional to address the root of anxiety and stress.
• Functional medicine: Functional medicine can also be helpful in determining the root cause of anxiety. Some root causes include mold toxicity, vitamin deficiencies, and food sensitivities.
• Neurofeedback: Neurofeedback offers brain retraining so that your brain can learn to get into a relaxed state.

In addition to treatment, here are some other ways to cope with anxiety:

• ABC analysis: The ABC model involves identifying your patterns of anxiety and the underlying beliefs so that you can choose a different belief, which results in a different outcome.
• Journaling: Journaling presents an opportunity to get your anxious thoughts out of your head and onto paper, thereby reducing rumination. You can find journaling prompts for anxiety or buy a journal that has prompts already in it.
• Healthier eating and supplements: Your gut produces more serotonin than your brain. It is important to ensure we get enough vitamins and minerals to help with anxiety. Ashwagandha, l-theanine, vitamin B complex, and 5 HTP can be helpful.
• Lifestyle modifications: When struggling with anxiety, it is important to maintain good sleep hygiene, manage stress levels, and spend time outdoors.

How to Find Professional Support

Self-help methods and distraction techniques are not enough if your anxiety is persistent. If you find that you are experiencing anxiety more days than not or if your anxiety lasts for more than six months, you should consider finding a therapist to help manage anxiety symptoms.

An online therapist directory can be helpful for finding a therapist and allow you to filter by insurance, specialty, location, and modality. If your anxiety makes it difficult to leave home, or if your schedule is very busy, you can also look for an online therapist via an online therapy platform for anxiety.