Do you check for fevers nightly? Do you hear about lumps, bumps and sores? Does your child worry they are just hours away from impending doom and death? If this sounds familiar, you might be dealing with health anxiety. Health anxiety is not fun. It can make a child worry about every single bodily change.
Do you have a child with all or nothing thinking? If you do, you know what a rollercoaster ride that can be! I am having the WORST day. Fast forward two hours. I am having the BEST day ever! It is enough to give you whiplash. Seriously.
Do you have a child who always has to be perfect? Do they stress over being the top of their class, getting the most goals and making everything absolutely flawless. Sometimes when a child strives for perfection, they become even less successful. So, how do you help a child with perfectionism?
Do you have a “saver” at your house? A child who finds treasures on street corners and everywhere in between? It is normal for kids to love to collect things like rocks, leaves and small toys – but when does it cross the line? When are you dealing with children hoarders?
This week on the AT Parenting Survival Podcast we are dishing the dirt on how to tell the difference between developmentally appropriate behavior and hoarding behavior. I also talk about some concrete ways to help children hoarders not grow up to be an adult hoarder!
How often does your child partake in negative self-talk? How often do you hear things like:
I will never get that right!
I am so stupid.
You don’t love me.
I am so ugly.
I am such an idiot.
I always make you mad.
No one likes me.
I am so awkward.
I am so annoying.
Even if you aren’t hearing these thought out loud, many kids are constantly berating themselves silently.
Germophobia: How to Help Kids Who are Afraid of Germs There is an enemy lurking behind every doorknob, every toilet seat, every handshake and kiss. There is a deathly illness behind every shared sip and every shared bite. When kids are afraid of germs they live their lives like this. They live in terror that their next touch, taste or wipe will be their last. […]
Last week I had the pleasure of interviewing Dr. Ross Greene, the best-selling author of The Explosive Child. He is the originator of the Collaborative & Proactive Solutions (CPS) Model. We talked about how to help kids with anxiety and OCD using his approach.
Many people have asked me how his CPS model fits within the approaches of Exposure Response Prevention (ERP) and other strategies we often talk about on my site, in my podcast and on my youtube channel.
To help with this I have dedicated a podcast episode to exploring the use of CPS methods combined with strategies for helping kids with anxiety and OCD.
When Anxiety Gives You the Feeling Like You have to Pee Right After You Pee Anxiety can do lots of things to our children’s bodies. It can make their heart race. It can make their stomach hurt. But many people don’t realize that it can also create the feeling like you have to pee right after you pee! This can range from a slightly annoying […]
Do you ever wonder why your child keeps doing the same things no matter how much discipline you throw at him? Do you struggle with getting your partner to see that your child isn’t trying to be difficult? If these are some of your struggles you have to dive into Dr. Ross Greene’s work!
What do Annabelle, Bloody Mary, Five Nights at Freddy’s and Slender Man all have in common? They freak our anxious kids out! And lucky for us there seems to be an endless supply on tap to help perpetuate the fear of ghosts and paranormal.
Raising an anxious child is hard. I mean really hard. I get it, I have three of them. I also get it because anxious kids and exhausted parents come into my office day after day. I hear the same stories over and over. I see the same struggles rearing its ugly head.
You are not alone.
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The much anticipated Sensory Super Bundle is available for only a few days! This year it is crazy! If you have a child with sensory or self-regulation issues this bundle is so worth it.
Does your child have sensory issues? Sensory issues are a common companion to anxiety and OCD. That can make an already difficult situation that much more difficult!
Often parents have a reactive approach to Sensory Processing Disorder. They put out fires as they come and often meltdowns are par for the course.
Many of us don’t think about equipping our kids with skills to handle their own sensory struggles.
Anxiety and sensory issues are like peanut butter and Jelly. They exist alone, but where you find one, you’ll often find the other. Unfortunately, anxiety can increase sensory issues and sensory issues can increase anxiety. This can feel like a never-ending vicious cycle.
So how are you supposed to handle your child’s sensory struggles? What’s the best approach? What are the best resources? What are the best sensory toys? We spend most of our time talking about anxiety, but today it is all about the sensory processing struggles!
Anxiety and OCD can make kids afraid to do many things. Afraid to sleep. Afraid of the dark. Afraid to make friends. But when anxiety or OCD makes you afraid to eat it can become a much more serious issue.
