Living With Anxiety and OCD: Lessons From Therapy and Real Life (Part 3)
In my last post, I shared how, in my experience, OCD and anxiety therapy requires coming face to face with some universal truths — not just for people with OCD and related anxiety disorders, but for everyone. In my last post, I discussed that one of those truths is learning to let go of control over the things we can’t control. That skill is essential for OCD recovery, and it also happens to be a pretty powerful guideline for being human in general.
In this post, I want to talk about another universal truth.
Being in the Present Moment
Learning how to be in the present moment — through mindfulness, grounding, meditation, and somatic work — is everywhere in wellness and psychology right now. But these practices aren’t new. They’ve been part of ancient wisdom traditions like Buddhism and shamanic practices for thousands of years, and they’re finding their way back into clinical settings and mainstream culture. I don’t think that’s an accident. People keep returning to these practices because they help cultivate inner stability and peace.
So what does this have to do with OCD and anxiety?
Just like it is for most people, learning to live in the present moment is deeply healing for those of us with OCD and anxiety — but in my opinion, it’s more than healing. It’s necessary. Because OCD pulls us out of the present and into imagined futures, worst-case scenarios, and endless “what ifs,” recovery requires learning how to anchor back into now. This becomes another universal truth that people with OCD have to confront in their recovery: inner peace and stability are directly connected to our ability to be present.
Mindfulness for OCD: Letting Go of Perfection and Returning to Now
I want to be clear about something here. I am not talking about holding yourself to an impossible standard — like going from never practicing present moment awareness to expecting yourself to be present all the time and to never get caught up in your thoughts. If you already have a mindfulness practice, you probably know that being fully present at all times is, frankly, impossible. If someone achieved that, they’d probably be considered enlightened — and that’s a pretty tall order. You might not even believe humans are capable of that, and that’s fair.
What I’m talking about is learning a set of skills: disengaging from intrusive thoughts, noticing when the mind begins to spiral, gently turning away from those thoughts, and anchoring back into the present moment—even when the present includes discomfort or pain. Life can be uncomfortable and painful, and practicing acceptance rather than resistance is not only a core part of OCD treatment but also a fundamental part of the human experience. It’s about unhooking from catastrophic, imagined stories, accepting how we feel, and allowing what is to be here. These are key components of OCD therapy at Jen Lescher LCSW, but they’re also essential skills for navigating all areas of life.
How Present-Moment Awareness Supports OCD Treatment
These are core skills that people with OCD have to learn in order to recover. They’re skills I teach my clients, whether we’re working with ERP (Exposure and Response Prevention), ACT (Acceptance and Commitment Therapy), or I-CBT (Inference-Based Cognitive Behavioral Therapy). We might use different language or tools depending on the modality, but no matter how you approach it, a key part of OCD treatment is learning how to come back here — to this moment.
And this is hard work. It takes a lot of practice — not just in session, but in daily life. But here’s the thing: living the other way is harder. Being constantly caught in mental spirals, dissociating from your life because you’re lost in rumination, struggling to enjoy your life because you’re always in your head and not engaging with the world — that is incredibly painful. Learning to be present may be challenging, but it’s far less painful than staying stuck in your mind.
Simple Mindfulness Practices for OCD and Rumination
You can start practicing being in the present more by starting a small daily mindfulness practice. This is an exercise I often share with clients: choose a daily activity you already do — brushing your teeth, taking a shower, walking the dog — and practice doing it mindfully. That simply means noticing when your mind drifts away from what you’re doing, and then gently and lovingly bringing it back to the present.
If you’re brushing your teeth, that might look like noticing when your thoughts take you to your to do list and then gently coming back to the present moment by noticing the temperature of the water, the sensation in your mouth, what you see in the mirror, how your feet feel on the ground — anything that helps you reconnect with the moment. And your mind will wander again. That’s what minds do. They generate thoughts — so many thoughts. That’s why the tone here matters. We bring the mind back kindly, not harshly. The mind is just doing its job.
Think of this practice as strengthening a muscle. Each time you gently come back to the present, you’re practicing not ruminating and not getting lost in thought. Then, when an OCD trigger shows up, this skill is more accessible. It becomes easier to notice the thought, turn away from it without engaging, and anchor yourself in the moment — because you’ve been practicing.
A Final Note from an OCD & Anxiety Therapist
As an OCD therapist, I’ve come to believe that many of the things we work on in OCD and anxiety therapy are really universal truths about being human. Learning to tolerate uncertainty. Letting go of control. Coming back to the present moment. I don’t take lightly how difficult this work can be. I know that learning to step back from rumination, to allow intrusive thoughts to be there without engaging, or to sit with uncertainty can feel incredibly vulnerable at first. But I also know that with the right support and the right kind of treatment, it’s possible to build a different relationship with your mind.
I offer online OCD therapy for individuals in Boston, MA and Los Angeles, CA, working with clients who are ready to begin breaking the cycles that keep them stuck. Together, we focus on practical, evidence-based approaches like ERP, ACT, and I-CBT while also making space for your lived experience and what matters most to you.
Begin Building a New Relationship with Your Thoughts Today
You don’t have to wait until things feel unbearable to reach out. If something in this blog post resonated, that may be enough of a reason to start a conversation. OCD and anxiety therapy doesn’t have to be perfect or all figured out before you begin; it just has to start with a small step toward support.
If you’re considering OCD or anxiety therapy, you’re welcome to contact me to learn more about working together.
Explore more of my blogs, where I share reflections, education, and practical tools related to OCD therapy, rumination, and anxiety.
Start building a new relationship with your thoughts in a supportive environment.
Additional Resources to Support Your Healing Journey
Beyond one-on-one OCD therapy, I offer resources that can help you carry progress into your daily life. The Common OCD Themes page provides insight into the intrusive thoughts and behaviors many people face, helping you identify patterns and know you’re not alone. The OCD and Social Life page looks at how OCD influences friendships, dating, and relationships—sharing strategies to foster connection and build confidence while managing symptoms.
These resources are meant to complement your therapy, offering education, practical tools, and encouragement so you can continue moving forward between sessions.
About the Author:
I’m a therapist, a devoted coffee lover (truly of one my favorite daily comforts), and someone who really values small moments of presence. That might look like slowing down with mindfulness, getting lost behind my camera, or taking a quiet walk just to notice what’s around me. Photography, in particular, helps me stay grounded and curious—two qualities I bring into my work with clients as well.
I’ve been interested in healing and spirituality since my teenage years and have explored many paths along the way, from meditation to energy-based practices. At the same time, I’m just as likely to be blasting music in the car or deep into a true crime podcast. To me, healing isn’t only about stillness or insight—it can also include movement, humor, and moments of joy. Therapy should have space for all of that.
I’ve worked in a wide range of mental health settings since 2007, and that experience shaped one of my core beliefs: healing is never one-size-fits-all. It’s personal. It changes over time. It can feel messy. And it’s always possible.
Training & Background
Inference-Based CBT (ICBT) for OCD – The OCD Training School & The Cognitive Behavioral Institute
Certified in Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP) – The Cognitive Behavioral Institute
Gottman Method Couples Therapy – Level 1
Master’s in Social Work – Portland State University, 2012
