To cope with these challenging emotions, many people who experience panic turn tomaladaptive behaviors.
But, distraction techniques can help you manage the symptoms of panic attacks.
What Is a Distraction Technique?
Tanya Little / Getty Images
A distraction technique is simply any activity that you engage in to redirect your mind off your current emotions.
Instead of putting all your energy into the upsetting emotion, you reset your attention to something else.
When you distract yourself, you are able to manage your strong emotions by bringing your focus elsewhere.
Distraction techniques are often used along with other coping mechanisms.
Additional coping can then occur through strategies such asrelaxationor other self-help techniques.
Plus, it is difficult to feel anxious and upset when in a relaxed state of mind.
Hall CB, Lundh LG.Brief therapist-guided exposure treatment of panic attacks: a pilot study.Behav Modif.
2018;5(4):e11290.
