Every couple of days, you come across distraction posts on social media. Funny videos and beautiful images get posted in support groups as a way of dealing with emotional pain or mental health issues. For a few moments, you forget about the stress and pain in your life. Distraction pain management has been around for a while with researchers studying the benefits of distraction. With distraction pain management, chronic pain sufferers use a variety of distraction techniques to improve their coping skills.
What is Distraction Pain Management?
Seeing as the term distraction pain management is self-explanatory, let me give you a simple example. You hit your finger with a hammer and straight away, you vigorously shake your hand, don’t you? Driven by instinct, you seek a way to distract from the pain. Pain management experts have developed distraction techniques to equip chronic pain sufferers with effective tools to manage long-term pain.
In a nutshell, you find an enjoyable activity to take your focus away from the pain. This can be anything from knitting to walking, all the way to cooking or watching TV. Although distraction pain management research has shown limited benefits, many people find distraction an effective tool when coping with chronic pain.
Can Distraction Pain Management Help with Emotional Pain?
If you’re suffering mental health issues, distraction can also provide relief. Talking to a friend, pursuing a hobby or reading a gripping novel can help to ease the pain and bring about calm. Even if the period of distraction is only brief, you still can breathe a little easier during it. What’s more, you’ll begin to experience some much-desired joy.
The issues will still need looking at but during the distraction periods, you can gather up strength and calm. Find an activity you love and make time for it every day. I remember one girl in a mental health Facebook support group. On a regular basis, she bakes delicious and stunning-looking cakes to distract herself. When she’s finished creating her piece of confectionary art, she takes a picture of it and posts it to the group. Although she doesn’t ever explain why she needed the distraction, everyone can appreciate her reasons for baking that day.