One of the most common anxiety and OCD fears is death and dying. Most of us don’t want to die, but for some this level of fear robs them from living. In this week’s Youtube video I talk to kids and teens about how to tackle the fear of death and start living life again.
When kids have Moral OCD, intrusive thoughts they are a bad person, it can be hard to discipline and set boundaries. It can also hit their self-esteem on a level that makes it hard to manage. In this week’s AT Parenting Survival Podcast I talk to parents about how to navigate the minefield of discipline, redirection, self-esteem and boundary setting in kids with Moral or Scrupulosity OCD.
Anxiety is like playing checkers, but OCD is like playing chess. You can try to rationalize with anxiety. You can problem-solve and try to talk yourself out of anxiety. It may not be easy, but with skills, you can make some headway. But OCD is a different game entirely. OCD will easily outsmart you if you don’t know the rules of the game.
OCD will often make our kids feel like they are a bad person. When they struggle with OCD subtypes like moral OCD or harm OCD they might have compulsions that make them repeatedly say they are sorry. Often OCD will want them to say they are sorry several times to make sure the person heard them or to get a response that makes it all okay. Or OCD might be satisfied if they just say it out loud. Regardless of what type of compulsions they have to do, saying sorry for OCD only serves to grow OCD bigger. In this week’s Youtube video I talk to kids and teens about why saying sorry is a common compulsion and how to outsmart OCD and not do what it wants.
We are only one piece of the puzzle in our child’s long term success with anxiety or OCD, but our attitude is something we have full control over. How we show up to our child’s struggles can have a big impact. In this week’s AT Parenting Survival Podcast I talk about our parental attitudes and how to shift them while having self-compassion.
Many of us get songs stuck in our heads, that’s common. But when you have OCD, thoughts, images and even songs can get “sticky.” In this week’s Youtube video I talk to kids and teens about why this becomes an OCD issue and how to overcome it.
There are two ways to approach OCD. The first is to align with OCD and appease, negotiate and listen to the rules it dictates. The world outside of OCD is the problem. The second is to recognize that OCD is not a friend, confidante or protector. It does not dictate rational rules to keep you safe or comfortable. It is the discomfort maker. In this week’s Youtube I am talking to kids and teens about this and asking them, which way do they want to see OCD?
As parents we want to encourage our kids with anxiety or OCD to move towards their fears and discomfort, not away from them. But how do we do that? In this week’s AT Parenting Survival Podcast I talk about the small steps we can take to help our kids move towards their fears. I also talk about effective ways to offer encouragement and instill the feeling of success.
It is not uncommon for our kids (and us) to worry about worrying. They might wonder: What if my anxiety or OCD grows bigger? What if I am not able to go to school or get a job? What if I can’t find happiness? Feeling worried about their future can impact their present. It can also rob them (and you) of any energy they might have to meet these struggles head on. In this week’s Youtube video I talk to kids and teens about how to handle their fears of the future, while making progress in the here and now.
Puberty is hard enough, but add anxiety and OCD to the mix and UGH! In this week’s AT Parenting Survival Podcast I talk about the good (yes there is some good), the bad (oh yeah, there is that too) and the ugly (plenty of that) when kids with anxiety or OCD enter puberty.
OCD isn’t always about fears, sometimes it is about feelings. A feeling of incompleteness is common in OCD. One way OCD shows up is in the feeling you didn’t “catch it all.” You might have a feeling of incompleteness or it might trigger other themes like, “am I lying if I said I read this?” Or “will something bad happen if I don’t reread or rewatch this?” This can cause people with OCD to read and reread lines, paragraphs or chapters. It can make people rewind and rewatch videos over and over again. It can make you ask people to repeat themselves or explain themselves over and over again.
OCD can take over our child or teen’s world and sometimes we have to get more intensive support. In this week’s AT Parenting Survival Podcast I talk about the different levels of care that are available to kids with OCD, when to consider intensive outpatient or residential care and what to do when they come back home.
Agoraphobia can prevent our kids from being able to leave the house, be in crowds, go to the movies or travel – just to name a few. It can be a debilitating and life altering disorder and often the signs and symptoms can start in childhood.
Anxiety and OCD can rob us of the things we love the most. It can also be a powerful tool to motivate our kids to work on their anxiety or OCD. In this Youtube video I talk to kids and teens about what anxiety or OCD is taking away from them and what things they want to take back
Learn the many disguises of OCD, including Moral OCD. Moral OCD can make a child worry they might be a bad person or turn into a bad person.
