some grounding tips for people with dissociative disorders!!
I've been seeing a few posts around here on people sharing some of the things they do to ground themselves when dissociation hits the hardest and some of them help me a lot! So I decided to write here some of my personal tips that sometimes help!
• Paint your nails with colours! - sometimes when i lose my grounding so bad, i have a really hard time on recognizing my hands. painting them whatever colour i have available at the time helps me to focus on something when i look at my hands. i can focus on the colours and try to remember carefully the time when i painted them.
• listening to familiar music with headphones. - i usually choose a song i know every word of so i can get a sense of familiarity that keeps me grounded. it also helps to quiet down my thoughts that keep spirilling.
• if i have someone around that i trust, i ask them to hug me tightly or squeeze my hand strongly. this helps to acknowledge that my body feels things, therefore it might be real.
• really hot or really cold showers. again, body feeling things
• jumping jacks or riding a bike. exercices help me focus on things outside of my mind and also tiredness makes the body feels more intense. feeling intense always helps to make me feel slightly more present.
• coffee. whenever i have an important test or anything that i have to put my mind on and can't zone out, i always consume a good amount of coffee before. it helps me focus on what i absolutely need to do.
hope this helps! take care :)
For anyone experiencing derealizations (when you think the world around you isn't real):
List 5 things you can see, 4 things you can touch, 3 things you can hear, 2 things you can smell, 1 thing you can taste.
Seek them out if you have to, name them, and focus on the sensations in your body. Remember to keep your breathing regular. It has helped me immensely multiple times.
this is very good! interacting with the environament around you is an incredibly useful tip! watching it in a distracted perspective (or in a freaking out perspective) during times i'm fully dissociated has only made me feel more disconnected.
try to focus on the things surrounding you as more than just a scenerio but a place where you are actually at and have the capacibility to interact with.
get in touch, step by step (like those this person so carefully mentioned), with your senses and feelings. connecting with the details of your body and your surroundings can help you feel a bit more grounded!
all the love for the people who are struggling! you are real. x
