Object Focus

Hold a small object like a stone, coin, or stress ball.

Explore it completely with your fingers - its weight, texture, temperature, and shape.

Describe it in detail to yourself, focusing only on physical sensations.

Example

Pick up a smooth river rock from your desk.

"This stone is about the size of a large grape.

It's cool to the touch and fits perfectly in my palm.

The surface is mostly smooth with one slightly rough patch.

It's heavier than I expected.

When I roll it between my fingers, I can feel tiny variations in the surface.

Why This Works & How It Helps

Your brain can only focus on so many things at once - when you're really concentrating on how something feels in your hands, there's no mental space left for worry or anxiety. Touch sensations only happen right now (you can't fake the feeling of a coin's edges), so focusing on them pulls your attention into the present moment and activates your nervous system's "calm down" response. This technique helps people with ADHD focus their scattered attention, helps trauma survivors reconnect safely with their bodies, and can even reduce chronic pain by giving the brain something else to pay attention to. Each time you practice this, you're literally rewiring your brain to handle stress better, and unlike other meditation techniques, almost everyone can do it immediately since your hands are naturally designed to explore the world around you.