I had my wisdom teeth taken out on Monday.
(Well, I bet you didn’t expect to read that today!)
Despite wanting to be sedated, owing to my “fun” medical history, I had no choice but to go with local anaesthesia instead.
Having been through some pretty intense health crap over the last few years, I’m no stranger to having to be conscious during procedures (for those with strong stomaches, feel free to look into bone marrow biopsies).
To say that it sucks is… A massive understatement.
During one of the aforementioned biopsies, I met a lovely doctor who saw how acutely distressed and anxious I was.
She asked, “do you want to try a distraction exercise? It was the only thing that got me through labour.”
All I could do was shakily nod through tears.
“Imagine a beautiful, fluffy cloud.
Now it’s changing colours, it’s the same blue as the sky…
And now it’s purple… Oh, it’s slowly turning into a lovely pink.
Look, it’s now fading into a bright orange colour.”
For the next 30 minutes, she knelt by my bed and guided me through this.
And. It. Worked.
Don’t get me wrong, it was still awful. But it successfully distracted me from the overwhelming anxiety and pain. That biopsy ended up being the least horrible of them all.
When it comes to anxiety, distraction is a surprisingly effective tool that is often overlooked and undervalued. That said, while it can be helpful in the short-term moment, solely relying on distractions to manage your anxiety shouldn’t be relied upon as a long-term solution.
Think of distraction as a tool to give yourself a break, not a permanent escape.
I personally define low-effort as anything that doesn’t require you to leave bed.
Watch cute or peaceful YouTube videos. Here are some of my favourites:
Li Ziqi: One of the best channels imo that showcases Li Ziqi’s rural lifestyle in Sichuan province, China, including cooking and food preparation, gardening, and traditional Chinese craftsmanship. Her videos often feature picturesque landscapes, serene music, and captivating slow-motion shots with very little talking.
campingG: If you like camping, here’s a channel with really peaceful camp setup videos of a woman who does a lot of solo camping with her dog in Korea.
Peaceful cuisine: The name describes the channel! Peaceful Cuisine is known for its visually stunning and well-presented food creations, and its focus on using natural and wholesome ingredients to make delicious and healthy meals.
Nomadic architecture: Incredible housing built in the most remote of places. Imagine yurts in the arctic, tents in the Ethiopian desert, or migrations of Siberian nomads.
Count things around you by colour.
Try to remember everyone in your class from school.
Mindlessly doodle and sketch.
Play a video game.
Plan an imaginary holiday.
Netflix.
Surprise yourself with a random Wikipedia page — try it, it's fun!
Press the Bored Button
In your head, walk from where you live to the nearest cafe.
Make up a cheesy poem about the things you see around you.
Name as many countries as you can in alphabetical order.
A little more effort, but relatively simple but totally worth the effort.
Take a shower. You will always always always feel better clean.
Make a snack. Remember H.A.L.T — are you Hungry, Angry, Lonely or Tired? If so, address them.
Go outside and walk around for 20 mins.
Do a sudoku or crossword puzzle (if you like puzzles).
Find a new recipe to treat yourself to!
Learn some swear words in a new language — surprisingly fun.
I find these most helpful when the anxiety is strong and overwhelming.
Go to a museum or art gallery.
Write a postcard to a friend(s).
Find a new cafe.
Build something!
Go out to get some ice cream (or hot chocolate if you’re somewhere cold). Then do a happy ice cream dance! 🍦
My next wisdom teeth surgery is in 10 days. If anyone is looking for me then, you can find me seated in my dentist's chair making some clouds very, very colourful in my head.
In the meantime, I'm off for some ice cream. 🍨
Have a great week ahead!
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