anyone have advice on how to stay present

There's definitely a lot of pressure to become present. I was rejecting my thoughts and trying to be present for years. Recently I have actually experienced presence by acknowledging but not giving much importance to any thoughts ( even though a lot of my thoughts bring anxiety for a while). I think presence comes naturally once thoughts don't have so much power.

Bingo 🙌

I hated being so melancholic a few years ago but now I'm not that much. I didn't really work on it. Sometimes, you only find something by not searching it... Spending quality time with your family and friends, meditating, doing yoga or any other hobbies : it takes time to find out what really works for you! Take it easy, your future self will be grateful

thank you for all of these wonderful suggestions, i’m trying to be gentle with myself at such a weird time in my life and reading this is very helpful

I was given an exercise by my therapist to list in my head 3 things I can smell, 3 I can feel with my hands, 3 I can see, and 3 feelings I can identify. This helps me when I start to feel like I’m floating away :)

I do this too! I also find some object of focus (the TV, the kettle, my fork) and pay attention to what I'm doing as if I've never seen it before or done it before. It takes practice but it really works for me.

i’ve heard about doing this and have tried it as well, not the best at using but i should practice, thank you