It might surprise some people that the fear of throwing up, Emetophobia, is one of the most common anxiety and OCD themes. For those of us raising a child with it, it isn’t surprising at all! Sometimes this fear is triggered by an event or experience, but often it is the imagination alone that causes this immobilizing concern. We all throw up and many of us see others throw up, but we are able to move past it without too much residual impact.
We will all fall short sometimes and so will our children with anxiety or OCD. They will avoid, they will crumble, they will give in to their anxiety or OCD. That is all par for the course. More often than not they will view these situations as “failures.” They might beat themselves up or use the experience as evidence that they can’t do it again.
Summer is here and with that comes extra free time for most of our kids with anxiety or OCD. You would think that would be a wonderful thing. Less pressure from school, homework and peer interactions. Less places to be and less things to do. But for some of our kids that extra downtime can actually increase their anxiety or OCD issues.
Anxiety and OCD love to feed on avoidance. It will make our kids avoid all sorts of things. But the most powerful thing it can make them avoid is even talking about anxiety or OCD. When they avoid talking about anxiety or OCD they can’t make progress. It keeps them stuck in a loop that continues to grow anxiety or OCD.
It’s hard enough to parent a child with anxiety or OCD, but when your own mental health issues are added to the mix, it can be all-encompassing. But it’s not all bad. Having your own anxiety or OCD issues can help you be a better parent to a child with anxiety or OCD.
There are so many things we want to control in our lives. None of us want to die, get sick, get rejected, get judged, get hurt. None of us want to be overwhelmed with feelings of hurt, harm, embarrassment or disgust. None of us want to second guess our actions, behaviors or future.
How often do we hear from family, friends, and even doctors that we should “wait and see” if it gets worse. We should wait and see if the anxiety or OCD grows bigger. We should wait and see if anxiety or OCD becomes debilitating. We should wait and see if it is truly an issue.
Anxious kids often have a hard time trying new things. This might impact what they’ll eat, what activities they’ll try or how they feel about going to new places. It can permeate their lives in a way that limits their experiences and holds them back.
Many kids have fears of animals and insects, but for some it can dominate their lives. They might worry about seeing the feared animal or insect. They might go out of their way to avoid an encounter. It might be an all consuming fear that impacts the things they love and enjoy.
There is an important player in the battle with anxiety or OCD – and that is ourselves. How our kids talk to themselves about their anxiety or OCD struggles can be key to their long-term success.
There are many things that can put a strain on marriages. Once the honeymoon is over it can be a struggle to agree on finances, household chores and parenting. When anxiety or OCD is in the mix it can make a hard situation even harder.
Dealing with anxiety or OCD can be an uphill battle. But with the right ingredients, kids can flourish and overcome many of their struggles.
Many of us are afraid to do or see certain things. That’s a human experience. But some of us are paralyzed by that fear. A phobia around anything can have the power to dominate our lives. It can dictate what we do and how we do it.
As parents, we all struggle with our children’s tech use. It seems like most kids have their heads buried in their phone, computer or game console. But what if it goes deeper? What if they are using technology to avoid their anxiety or OCD? What if they are using tech to do compulsions? Or what if tech is part of what is actually growing their anxiety?
PSP: 253 Helping Kids with Anxiety Reframe Anxious Thoughts Anxious thoughts grow, build momentum and turn into an avalanche of overwhelm. But what if kids with anxiety were taught how to stop the mental chaos before it grew out of control? What if they were able to reframe their fears and calm their mind? When kids have anxiety, one of the most powerful tools at […]
