When thoughts get stuck in my head.....over and over and over again.....I have to find something to distract me. I need to do something that helps give my mind some rest because those ruminations are painful and exhausting.
Reading doesn't do it for me.....I can't shut my mind off enough to get through one page and I wind up becoming more exhausted because I'm having to concentrate so hard to make the words on the page make sense. This sounds silly but I use games. Yes games. Internet games. Mindless games that grab my attention and allow the pain to subside for a while. Movies work too. Even my work helps. Taking a walk and getting fresh air helps a lot. It doesn't matter what the activity is really......it's anything that allows my mind to stop ruminating about the addict and his activities. Anything that shifts the focus off of him and on to me.
Find what works for you and then follow Nike's sound advice.......just do it.
gentle hugs
ke