The Dialectical Behavior Therapy Skills Workbook for Anxiety

Basic Mindfulness Skills 69

Take your time observing the object. Now hold the object in your hand or reach out and touch the
object. Begin noticing the different ways it feels.

 Is it smooth or is it rough?

 Does it have ridges or is it flat?

 Is it soft or is it hard?

 Is it bendable or is it rigid?

 Does the object have areas that feel different from each other?

 What does the temperature of the object feel like?

 If you can hold it in your hand, notice how much it weighs.

 What else do you notice about the way it feels?

Continue exploring the object with both your sight and your sense of touch. Continue to breathe
comfortably. When your attention begins to wander, return your focus to the object. Keep on exploring
the object until your alarm goes off or until you have fully explored all the qualities of the object.

Exercise: Band of Light

This is the third exercise that will help you focus more fully on the present moment. It will help
you become more mindful of the physical sensations in your body. Read the instructions before
beginning the exercise to familiarize yourself with the process. Then you can either keep these
instructions near you if you need to refer to them while you’re doing the exercise, or you can record
them in a slow, even voice on an audio-recording device and play them while you’re observing the
sensations in your body.
As with the other exercises in this chapter, most likely your focus will begin to wander while
you’re doing this exercise. That’s okay. When you recognize that your focus is drifting, gently return
your attention to the exercise and do your best not to criticize or judge yourself.

Instructions

To begin, find a comfortable place to sit in a room where you won’t be disturbed for ten minutes.
Turn off any distracting sounds. Take a few slow, long breaths and then close your eyes. Using your
imagination, envision a narrow band of white light circling the top of your head like a halo. As this
exercise progresses, the band of light will slowly move down your body, and as it does, you will become
aware of the different physical sensations you’re feeling beneath the band of light.