Distracted? Not me! (ha!)

I have a serious love for someecards.  Yes, love.

Distraction: a common epidemic plaguing the world.  We live in a world of easy distractions... we do not even know we are being distracted!  
A fun way to better understand the meaning of a word is to look at its synonyms:  

bafflement, bamboozlement, befuddlement,bemusement, bewilderedness, bewilderment, confusedness,discombobulation, confusion, fog, head-scratching, muddle, mystification, perplexity,puzzlement, tangle, whirl

When we are faced with real life things, we are more susceptible to distraction.  It is easy to become "bamboozled" (I was so looking forward to using that one) in every day life, but boy-oh-boy when we are facing a challenge there is not only ease but comfort in focusing on Pintrest, Real Housewives of New Jersey, and discovering how many naps you can take in one weekend.  I mention these particularly because these are some of my distraction drugs of choice.  Yes, I just called distraction a drug, and I mean it.

Numbing yourself to reality by focusing on things that are not important to your growth as a person would most surely be called an addition to a substance if we were talking about booze, cigarettes, or pills.  We convince ourselves that checking out for things like Facebook and all the other personal distractions we have are for our relaxation, socializing  etc ... when in reality it can be, but more than likely we are using it as a way to shield ourselves from something.

I have found that when I focus my distractions on things that better me (this blog, going to the gym, cooking at home, talking to a friend, going to a Bible study...) I feel better. Isn't that our overall goal, regardless of where we are in life at the moment?  To feel better about our circumstances, our lives, our existence, our hope.  

What distractions are you using as numbing medicine for your life?  Instead of going cold turkey and proclaiming to the world in the all to familiar dramatic way, "I am done with Facebook, see you later." (which really sounds like this to your friends: "I am done with Facebook (all you losers who are so dependent upon it), see you later (when you become as cerebral as me and realize its a waste) (or in a week when I miss it)." Consider what minor changes can you make to tweak the way you distract yourself.  Acknowledging it is the biggest part, then you will figure out what is healthy for you and what is not; awareness to your innermost being will be the result.

Comment Question of the Day...

What are your distraction drugs of choice?  What little things can you change to help connect with your inner self?