Desperate people who are losing the struggle in life for whatever reason need professional help, not drugs or alcohol, or even more terminal solutions.
I’m not talking about that. I’m talking about frustrations in life that require a reset.
Things like:
- being OCD (obsessive-compuslive)
- stuck
- angry
- this again?
- hitting your head against the wall
- repetitive failures
- feeling overwelmed regularly
- losing patience
- being overley aggressive
…the list goes on.
Especially with being “stuck” on one thing, a reset – a diversion is helpful.
My best example is when I lose something. It can be fairly inconsequential, like a favorite pen. You’d think the world will stop rotating on its axis if I don’t find it. Something causes me to stop any and every thing else I do as my very existence hinges on that pen. Or when I’m trying to remember someone’s name, or a seemingly important event (for no good reason).
RIDICULOUS!
This is when the best tack is to drop it, and drop it completely. Since minds don’t always work that way, a diversion is needed. Something that will completely draw your attention in another direction for even a few minutes.
Diversions can be forced on you like when your kids interrupt you, or the phone rings.
But you can choose to divert yourself away from time-wasting obsessions and frustrations with simple things like:
- a bike ride
- a quick check on your favorite TV show
- grabbing (fixing) some food
- a short walk
- a phone call you’ve been putting off
- checking email
- petting your dog
- reading a chapter in a book
ANYTHING that gets you out of your own head for even a few minutes. Often when I do this, the pen magically appears, or I remember the name of that film star I was wanting to tell someone about, or the energy comes out of the anger/frustration, and I’m able to function productively again.
As I write this, I’m taking a long diversion. The pic associated with this blog is an actual photograph…so that was one diversion here at the farm in Illinois where I find peace ‘n’ quiet. But then tinkering with the photo, and making it art nouveau also was diversion therapy.
There’s actually a whole school of psychology that supports this methodology.
Check out one example that explains it well here: What is Diversion Recreation Therapy?
Thanks for letting this blog be a diversion for a few minutes!
Have a great Monday!
CourVO