Tips for Grounding During Dissociation

Listing has helped me a lot! Both specific lists (like of things that are a certain color, names of friends, every teacher I’ve had that I can remember, or even just all the countries I can think of) and more abstract lists (like things that make me feel a certain way, things that remind me of each other, things I remember from early childhood). Also, peeking oranges and using my hands for knitting/crafting can be grounding! Hang in there💛

Depersonalization is specifically a sense of detachment from oneself and one's identity. I’m currently getting over the bad habit of picking my face to overcome derealization, but I have been trying to simply acknowledge features of my body when I feel as though I’m disconnecting. Examples like stating your eye color to yourself, or placing your hand somewhere on your body and stating what the body part is and that it is yours. Basically meditative head-shoulders-knees-and-toes! Derealization is when things or people around seem unreal. Maybe in times like this, try the 5-senses grounding technique to reconnect with your surroundings. I also tend to touch things and fidget with things if I feel like I’m nearing a state of derealization, feeling things and simply saying what they are in my mind.

personally, when it gets really bad, i blare music that makes me feel more empowered or happy, to at least push myself in a better mood while i’m dissociating