Understanding Distraction in Recovery: A Path to Healing

The Role of Distraction in Recovery

Distraction is often recommended in recovery spaces—and for good reason. It can be helpful. It can get you through a hard moment. But it’s important to understand what distraction can do—and what it can’t do.

Distraction can be a bridge, but it cannot be the destination.

If you’ve ever been told to “just distract yourself” when urges hit, you’re not alone. Distraction is often suggested because urges around food, body image, restriction, or compensation can feel overwhelming. They can feel urgent. They can feel dangerous. So we reach for something—our phone, a show, cleaning, scrolling, working, exercising, anything—to get away from the feeling.

And here’s the truth: Distraction isn’t wrong. Distraction can be supportive in the moment.

The Temporary Nature of Emotions

Especially early in recovery, distraction can function like a band-aid—it can stop the bleeding long enough for you to stay safe. But a band-aid doesn’t heal the wound. And distraction doesn’t heal the underlying emotional pain.

There’s something incredibly important I want you to know: Emotions are temporary.

Neuroscience shows us that the physiological wave of an emotion lasts about 90 seconds—if we don’t fuel it with fear, judgment, or avoidance. That means:

• Anxiety rises

• Discomfort peaks

• And then… it falls

  
  

The problem is not the emotion. The problem is what we believe about the emotion. We’re often taught:

• “This feeling will last forever.”

• “I can’t handle this.”

• “I have to make this go away immediately.”

  
  

But emotions are not dangerous. They are information. They cannot hurt you. What can hurt you is running from them, numbing them, or letting them control your behavior over time.

Distraction can help you survive the first 90 seconds. But recovery requires learning how to tolerate discomfort, not eliminate it. There’s a big difference between:

• “I’m distracting myself so I don’t act on this urge right now”

• “I’m distracting myself so I never have to feel this again.”

  
  

One builds resilience. The other keeps the cycle going.

Staying Present in Discomfort

Sometimes the most powerful recovery move is not distraction—but staying present and saying:

• “This feels uncomfortable… and I am safe.”

• “I don’t like this feeling… and I can handle it.”

• “This will pass.”

  
  

That is nervous-system work. That is emotional regulation. That is recovery.

Why Avoiding Emotions Keeps Disordered Eating Alive

Disordered eating thrives on avoidance. Food rules, restriction, bingeing, purging, over-exercise—these are not food problems. They are coping strategies.

When we constantly distract ourselves from emotions like:

• Sadness

• Anger

• Loneliness

• Fear

• Grief

  
  

We never learn:

• Why they show up

• What they’re asking for

• How to respond without hurting ourselves

  
  

You don’t heal by outrunning emotions. You heal by listening to them. Emotions are signals—not threats. So let’s talk about how to use distraction intentionally, not automatically.

A Framework for Healthy Distraction

Here’s a helpful framework:

Use distraction to:

• Ride out the urge

• Stay safe

• Get through the first wave

  
  

Then ask yourself:

• What was I feeling before the urge showed up?

• What do I actually need right now?

• Is there something unresolved beneath this?

  
  

Healthy distraction is temporary and conscious. Unhelpful distraction is constant, automatic, and avoidant. Recovery isn’t about never distracting yourself. It is about not letting distraction replace emotional work.

A Simple Exercise to Try

Here’s something you can try the next time an urge hits:

1. Pause

2. Set a 90-second timer

3. Breathe

4. Name the feeling (even if it’s vague)

5. Let it rise and fall

   
   

If distraction helps, use it—but check back in afterward. Ask: “What was that really about?” That question alone builds awareness—and awareness changes everything.

You don’t need to fear your emotions. You don’t need to silence them. And you don’t need to outrun them. They are not the enemy.

Embracing the Journey of Recovery

Recovery is not about feeling good all the time. It is about trusting yourself to feel everything—and knowing you’ll be okay. Discomfort is not a sign you’re failing - it is often a sign you’re healing.

Thank you for being here, for doing this work, and for choosing nourishment—of body, mind, and emotions. Until next time, take gentle care of yourself.