Balance

One of the skills I have recently learned and now use quite frequently is called Grounding. It basically requires you to find a way to reconnect with your surroundings when you feel so adrift because of your anxiety. Not only will it make you focus on being mindful, it will also allow you to calm yourself - even if it is just by a small amount.

We know not to block or avoid the things that make us anxious so you would think that by not drowning yourself in the exposure to the point of panic and letting it naturally subside is the way we have to suffer through it. Grounding is just a skill to help when you get triggered randomly or are facing quite a high rate of anxiety. Exposure Response and Prevention therapy works by starting us on the small exposures that are easier to accomplish thanks to the anxiety being a lower number. But we can't always have control over when our OCD strikes so understanding and practising Grounding can help us be apart of life just a little bit more!

Here's a little video showing you the steps...

To Balance or Ground one's self, start by listing -

5 things you see

4 things you hear

3 thing you feel

2 things you smell

1 thing you taste