Distractions

If, like me, you often find yourself in need of distraction because you are -

climbing the walls

pacing

mind racing

wanting to self harm

crying constantly

having a panic attack

or anything else

here are things that you can do both on and offline which I find helpful.

ONLINE DISTRACTIONS

http://www.isketch.net – This site is like online pictionary. You get a word and have to draw the picture, and guess other peoples. You play in rooms of up to 10 people and the combination of thinking, guessing and doodling all help to distract me and help me regain focus.

http://www.king.com – This site has loads and loads of games on it that you can play alone or against other people on the site. It is free or you can play for pennies, it’s up to you. There is something on there for everyone and many a time has helped calm me down.

http://www.storywrite.com – If games aren’t for you and you want to write (but not a blog) then this is a good site for writing short stories. There are lots of competitions on it to win a little trophy next to your name and you can write about anything you want. They also have a sister site http://www.allpoetry.com which is the same except it is for poem writing.

http://www.youtube.com – Search for something funny or listen to your favourite music. Type in a song you like and lyrics after it and sing your heart out until you feel better. Search for relaxation or hypnotherapy and lie down and close your eyes. Think of programmes you loved as a kid and find clips of them.

Watch some of your favourite programmes or find new ones – in the UK there is http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer or http://www.channel4.com/4od and I’m sure a quick google search would find many more for other parts of the world.

Know that you aren’t alone and go to a support chat room where you can speak to others. I haven’t checked these out, but a quick google search brought up these links:

Bipolar Chat

http://stepchat.com/bipolar/chat/room1.htm

http://www.bipolarworld.net/Community/webchat.html

http://bipolar.about.com/mpchat.htm

http://www.a-silver-lining.org/chatrooms.html

http://www.bipolar4all.co.uk/

BPD

http://www.mhsanctuary.com/borderline/jchat/bpdchat.htm

http://www.borderlinepersonalitytoday.com/main/chat.htm

http://www.bpdfriends.com/bpdchat/

http://borderlinepersonality.ca/chat.htm

SELF HARM

http://www.recoveryourlife.com/

http://www.fortrefuge.com/SI-SH.html

http://www.palace.net/~llama/psych/injury.html

http://psychcentral.com/resources/Suicide_and_Crisis/Self-Injury/

SCHIZOPHRENIA

http://www.schizophrenia-online.com/

http://www.schizophrenia.com/discussions.htm

http://schizophreniachatroom.org/

HEALTHY PLACE HAS LOTS MORE COMMUNITIES

http://www.healthyplace.com

OFFLINE DISTRACTIONS YOU CAN DO AT HOME

Read a book/magazine

Have a long bath with lots of smelly things

Massage your feet

Give yourself a manicure

Watch a DVD

Burn some scented candles/incense

Draw/paint

Make a CD of all your favourite songs

Clean a room

Snuggle into a blanket, pillow, hot water bottle, teddy bear and relax

Make a collage

Take slow deep breaths and close your eyes, imagine all the stress leaving your body as you relax your muscles one-by-one from head to toe

Find something with an interesting texture and touch it, think of how it feels in your fingers, listen to the sounds it makes

Phone a friend or ask one to visit

Take a walk and really look at the scenery around you, even better take your i-pod as well

Go for a swim or another form of exercise you enjoy

Phone a support line if things are really bad and you need someone anonymous to talk to such as the Samaritans in the UK, Suicide Hotline in the US, Childline if you are under 18 in the UK, Support Line in the UK, Mindline in the UK – all their numbers are found quickly on Google.