Distraction

When I was little, one of my favorite activities was to daydream.  I'd spend hours weaving stories in my head of a heroine (usually with dark hair and green eyes) off on some adventure.  In my mind, she would leave all she had known and find herself in a new land.  She would attempt to integrate herself into her surroundings or she would seek out adventure.  You get the idea.  Daydreaming was my way of escaping from the world I currently existed in.  In that world, there was no loneliness, no heartache, pain was temporary and the sky the limit.

I've fallen out the the practice of daydreaming.  The way I've coped with stress in my 20s was to go on adventures with friends: some of which involved simply hikes, others that have become legends in their own right.  It was fairly easy to distract myself from what ever crisis I encountered and most things were resolved when I was able to think clearly.

Today I am on Day 5 of Lupron, with one more day of BCPs to go.  And I'm driving myself a bit crazy thinking about how December 1 can't get here fast enough.  Because of this, I've spent the past few days thinking more and more about techniques I've used to cope during times of stress.  There are simple things I can do to make the time go by: go for a run, grade, meditate, go for a walk, knit, etc., etc.  The frustrating part is that no matter what I do, the waiting always looms.

Grey and I were talking about this last night on the way home.  He had had a particularly frustrating day at work and, because of the weather, wasn't able to distract himself with a bike ride.  As he grumbled about delays caused by miscommunication, he made the connection about how frustrating it is to wait for something so that you can move forward, whether that be for work or for life.  And how at times, the only thing you can do is distraction yourself during the wait.  It's not laziness, it's survival.

Today, I've made myself a schedule of distractions: the morning will be spent finishing plans for dinner and doing the necessary shopping. Early afternoon will involve a run, followed by a long bath.  Late afternoon will focus on grading and preparing for the coming week.  Sounds good, right?

How about everyone else; what do you do to distract yourself while on this journey?