This is a short practice to help you steady yourself when the intrusive thoughts or urges to get relief by doing compulsions are relentless.
Take a slow breath in,
Hold it,
And a slower breath out.
Again,
Breathing in,
Hold it,
And as you exhale,
Release any tension you are holding in your body.
You are here because OCD has grabbed hold.
Maybe there's a thought that feels frightening,
Disturbing or impossible to leave alone.
Maybe there's an urge to do a compulsion.
Maybe your body feels anxious,
Restless or on edge.
Perhaps emotions feel strong,
Guilt,
Fear or maybe frustration that OCD is here again.
When OCD flares,
It can feel like a sudden storm moving in.
Everything gets louder,
More urgent.
Your mind starts pushing you to act,
But you don't stop a storm by arguing with it.
You steady yourself.
You find your footing while it passes.
So come back to your body.
Gently bring your attention to your hands.
Notice where they are resting.
Perhaps on your lap,
Your legs or beside you.
Feel the temperature in your palms,
The subtle sensations in your fingers.
You might gently press your fingertips together for a moment,
Just noticing the contact.
If comfortable for you,
Gently press your feet into the floor.
Notice that pressure.
Notice that support.
Something beneath you is holding firm,
Even while your mind feels unsettled.
Take another slow breath in,
Hold it,
And a longer breath out.
And notice your experience of this moment.
You may feel you have no choice but to follow OCD's commands,
But see if you can name what is here.
This is an intrusive thought.
Here's an urge.
I'm noticing anxiety.
This is OCD.
And as you notice that,
Offer yourself this.
I am having a hard moment and I can meet myself with kindness here.
No solving right now.
No checking.
Just this moment of steady groundedness.
Allowing the intrusive thoughts to rise and fall.
Allowing the urges to come and go.
And bringing your attention back to something real.
The feeling of your feet.
The movement of your breath.
The sound of my voice.
The sensation of your hands resting.
If your mind gets pulled back into the obsessional thoughts,
The doubts,
Or the what ifs,
Just notice that too.
This is what OCD does.
The practice right now is not to push OCD away.
The practice is to stay grounded,
With tenderness,
While the mind is noisy.
You might say to yourself,
This is painful and I can be gentle with myself.
OCD is here and I am choosing in this moment to focus on the ground beneath me.
Take one more slow breath in,
Hold it,
And a longer breath out.
Bring the focus of your attention to your feet once more.
Feel the support of the ground beneath you.
As we finish,
Carry this with you.
When OCD is loud,
I can still find my footing.
Each time you return to this practice,
You are strengthening an important skill.
You are learning how to pause,
Ground yourself,
And respond with more steadiness.
And if this feels difficult,
That's okay.
You're practicing something that does not always feel easy in the moment.
But each time you pause like this,
You are creating a little more space between you and the OCD.
And that space can grow,
One practice at a time.
