I woke up feeling very ill this morning with a cold, and my general strategy with cold is to take meds/drink broth/etc, try to be as comfortable as possible and distract myself until I get better. I’m learning that I don’t need to use food to distract me from my emotions. Is there any value in trying to distract myself with something non-food from physical pain? I understand that handling emotional pain is a skill that takes practice, but is physical pain different? I also have learned that I don’t always need to seek comfort (when dealing with emotional pain) but is seeking comfort part of healing from illness?

I guess this is kind of a vague question–just generally want your opinions on being sick and whether there is ever a point in seeking distraction and comfort by any means. Thank you!