Struggle to stay present

Something that helps me is going on a walk. As I walk, I connect myself with the present, and maybe even try laughing at an OCD thought or two. As I walk I look for things, and let me brain be curious about my surroundings. It’s not a perfect fix, but it does help for me! Another thing you could try is mindfulness! I’m far from perfect at it, but I do know it has started to help! You’ve got this!! Keep conquering! 💛

Meditation has been helping me. Get the calm app and the Meditation section has a series called Meditation for beginners. It has taught me that its expected that my mind will wander when meditating, and tge trick is to return to your focus when noticing that happening. Additionally, the process is essentially a practice of refocusing your thoughts and through this you build mindfulness, which us really just the ability of stay present in your thoughts. I would definitely suggest Meditation for beginners series. It's broke into roughly 10 minute Meditations, once a day, and there's 30 days worth. I've been going at my own pace and have found great information and a calmer less reactive self from using the app.

This is a great question. I try to break up my routine when I feel really sticky. Maybe I go to a different coffee shop or I change I try a different path. The change of scenery helps me notice the smaller details and be more mindful. Also, when I go for a walk to clear my head, I try and tell myself "this walk is the most important thing in the world right now" and bring my attention back to the walk (or another mindful activity). Also, have you tried to do ERP around a few of the things you've suggested avoiding? Like maybe on a day where you feel more in the moment, you could practice ERP around where you watch stressful media for 1 minute and then try to bring yourself back to the present moment. Avoiding is also a compulsion