#ocdtag

Looking out for stimuli in these boring moments helps me a lot too. I like to try to trick myself into not feeling bored. If I'm outside I choose something specific to look for like interesting rocks or trash, pretty plants, cool cloud formations, the texture of the ground or the bark of trees or if I can smell anything. If I'm inside I pick something to pay attention to that I usually don't, like the texture of the walls or furniture or dust bunnies, how my clothes feel on my skin, the different fonts on packaging and if the packaging is smooth or matte. I try to listen for background sounds and determine where they're coming from, or take note of the ambient temperature. Or fully focus on the taste and texture of what I'm eating or drinking.

Choose a couple senses to focus on and pick up anything you can. If you can't notice something or get bored, pick another sense. Make a game out of it if you want. See how many small things you can notice. You can still do any this for as little or as much time as you can stand and with your background noise still there. It doesn't have to be drastic changes if you can't handle that, and you don't even have to push yourself to be able to do it longer if that feels unattainable.

These things can feel like they have to be all or nothing or that you have to push yourself until you physically can't stand it, but it doesn't have to be. That can actually be detrimental because if you make yourself so uncomfortable that you can't stand it, you won't want to do it again. A little sometimes is better than a lot just once. No matter how "little" that amount is. It can be just a single moment and it's still beneficial

this is fantastic advice, and definitely very helpful! i am once again realising that i've landed square in the middle of another part of my mental illness (the OCD side) which is my all-or-nothing mentality/blockage. i see things very black and white by default, and the idea of doing things incrementally doesn't even occur to me as an option - so immediately being asked to do something like this seems like the worst because i'd have to do ALL OF IT AT ONCE etc - it's helpful to be reminded that there's another way!

being able to enact the part where i'm actually doing things little by little is a different kettle of fish, but i'm still working on that. but i am making progress! starting yesterday i have to repack my entire kitchen (which was pulled out so exterminators could access everything) and i was working so hard and to the point of pain and exhaustion when i realised that absolutely nothing requires me to have it done by day's end, so why was i setting myself that rule? i stopped working at that moment and sat down and rested, the kitchen is still unfinished, and i will work on it a little more today, and tomorrow, etc until it's complete