PSP 348: Does Your Child’s Anxiety or OCD Trigger Your Childhood Wounds?

PSP 348: Does Your Child’s Anxiety or OCD Trigger Your Childhood Wounds?

Dealing with our child’s anxiety or OCD is taxing enough, but sometimes there is another layer of stress. Often our child’s struggles can trigger something deep within us. A childhood wound, a flashback, a remnant of something that has remained dormant within us.

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PSP 347: Do You and Your Partner Fight Over Your Child’s Anxiety or OCD?

PSP 347: Do You and Your Partner Fight Over Your Child’s Anxiety or OCD?

Raising a child with Anxiety and OCD is hard enough, but when you and your partner are not on the same page, it can be even harder.

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How Your Child Sees the World Can Impact Their Ability to Get Relief from Anxiety or OCD

How Your Child Sees the World Can Impact Their Ability to Get Relief from Anxiety or OCD

Is the cup half empty or half full for your child? How they view their world and their situation can make a huge difference in how they handle anxiety or OCD.

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Does Your Child Get Anxious Anticipating Things? How to Get Relief from Anticipatory Anxiety.

Does Your Child Get Anxious Anticipating Things? How to Get Relief from Anticipatory Anxiety.

Anticipatory anxiety can be just as paralyzing as other anxiety themes. When we live in the world of what-ifs we can build up so much anxiety that we are immobilized by the time the situation or event arrives. It can help to teach our kids to build up skills on how to manage their anxiety prior to the situation. When they proactively quell the monumental avalanche of anxious thoughts they show up for the event/situation with less anxiety. In this week’s YouTube video for kids and teens I talk about some approaches to handle and reduce anticipatory anxiety.

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Does Your Child Worry About What Other People Think?

Does Your Child Worry About What Other People Think?

We all worry about what other people think, that is a human condition. But when you have social anxiety those thoughts consume you, devour you. With social anxiety we are on the hamster wheel of acceptance. We look for it, we analyze it, we tell ourselves we don’t have it – and the cycle repeats. But what if our kids could get off that hamster wheel of caring what other people think, or at least to the level that they do? What if they flipped it around and asked themselves, What do I think? How do I view myself? This is where the real work begins when trying to get rid of social anxiety. It begins with ourselves. In this week’s YouTube video I talk to kids and teens about how to shift their concern about what other people think to reduce their social anxiety.

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PSP 336: Teaching Kids with Anxiety or OCD to Advocate for Themselves

PSP 336: Teaching Kids with Anxiety or OCD to Advocate for Themselves

It is important for all kids to learn how to advocate for themselves. It is an especially important skill for kids with anxiety or OCD. Many of us feel like we have to go to bat for our kids with anxiety and OCD over and over again. But often we forget the important aspect of pulling back over time to teach our kids how to advocate for themselves. Self-advocacy builds self-esteem and empowerment. It helps kids learn that they have a voice. We can teach our kids to advocate for themselves in simple steps. In this week’s AT Parenting Survival Podcast I talk about the ingredients to self-advocacy and how to build those skills one step at a time.

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How Does Your Child Handle Anxious Situations?

How Does Your Child Handle Anxious Situations?

Everyone handles anxious situations differently. Even kids with anxiety disorders have different ways of showing up to these situations. Some of it has to do with wiring and some of it has to do with skill building. Do they show up to anxious situations waiting to implode? Do they know it is not going to work out before they even begin? Do they agree with their anxious thoughts and team up with their anxiety? Or do they show up to anxious situations like it is a challenge, one they are willing to take on? Do they think that it could possibly work out? Do they recognize their anxious thoughts without owning them? Regardless of whether that is their natural inclination or not, they can train their brain to show up to these situations with an attitude that will help them. In this week’s Youtube video I talk to kids and teens about learning to shift their thoughts and attitude to one that is going to build their resilience and empowerment.

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PSP 335: Creating Natural Exposures to Crush Anxiety and OCD

PSP 335: Creating Natural Exposures to Crush Anxiety and OCD

Ultimately we want our kids to live a life where they walk towards their anxiety or OCD fears and discomfort. The more they build those anxiety and OCD skills, the more resilient they will become. Natural exposures can help on two fronts. If your child is not ready to commit to formal ERP (Exposure Response Prevention), the main approach in OCD treatment, doing natural exposures can be a great first step. Second, we want our kids to develop an organic, authentic way of dealing with anxiety or OCD. When they learn how to create natural exposures when faced with triggers, they learn how to live their life while keeping anxiety or OCD at bay. In this week’s AT Parenting Survival Podcast I explore how natural exposures can help and how to get them started.

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PSP 333: Should You Tell the School About Your Child’s Anxiety or OCD?

PSP 333: Should You Tell the School About Your Child’s Anxiety or OCD?

Parents often ask me if they should tell the school about their child’s anxiety or OCD. The answer isn’t a simple yes or no. There are things to consider. Like does their anxiety or OCD impact their academic performance or ability to function at school? Is there a chance that they will be mislabeled or misunderstood due to their anxiety or OCD? In this week’s AT Parenting Survival Podcast I explore the areas to consider when weighing the pros and cons of telling the school about your child’s anxiety or OCD.

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How to Help When Your Child’s Anxiety Gets Triggered by Other Anxious People

How to Help When Your Child’s Anxiety Gets Triggered by Other Anxious People

Your child has spent a lot of time and energy learning how to cope with their anxiety. Perhaps they feel like they can finally manage their anxiety. But then someone near them starts to spiral out of control. Anxiety can feel contagious, especially when someone near them is panicking. How can they be around them, while keeping themselves grounded? In this week’s Youtube video I talk to kids and teens about ways to keep their own anxiety in check when someone near them is anxious.

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PSP 331: The Biggest Misconceptions Parents Have About Child Anxiety and OCD Therapy

PSP 331: The Biggest Misconceptions Parents Have About Child Anxiety and OCD Therapy

When your child is in therapy or you are searching for an anxiety or OCD therapist, you might have expectations and assumptions about how treatment should go. Often those expectations and assumptions are inaccurate. I invited therapists Dr. Josh Spitalnick and Marti Munford from Anxiety Specialists of Atlanta, to sit down with me on the AT Parenting Survival Podcast to discuss the most common misconceptions they see among parents.

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Helping Kids with Anxiety or OCD and Sensory Processing Issues

Helping Kids with Anxiety or OCD and Sensory Processing Issues

Helping Kids with Anxiety or OCD and Sensory Processing Issues This episode is for educational purposes only and is not intended to replace the guidance of a qualified professional. Anxiety and OCD don’t live in a bubble. Often kids with anxiety and OCD have sensory processing issues as well. It can help to understand what is sensory, what is anxiety, what is OCD and what […]

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PSP 329: What to Do When Your Child with OCD or Anxiety Won’t Discuss it

PSP 329: What to Do When Your Child with OCD or Anxiety Won’t Discuss it

Often parents give up before they even start because their child with OCD or anxiety refuses to talk. It is easy to think there is nothing you can do if you can’t get your child to discuss their anxiety or OCD. But there is always a place to start, always.

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When Your Child’s Faced with Anxiety or OCD Struggles Do They Give Up Before They Begin?

When Your Child’s Faced with Anxiety or OCD Struggles Do They Give Up Before They Begin?

How does your child talk to themselves when faced with anxiety or OCD struggles? How they show up to these anxiety or OCD issues can make all the difference. Do they cheer for themselves or do they cheer for anxiety or OCD? In this week’s Youtube video I talk to kids and teens about how our internal dialogue around anxiety or OCD is crucial.

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PSP 327: Reducing Inflammation to Improve Mental Health

PSP 327: Reducing Inflammation to Improve Mental Health

We are hearing more and more about how inflammation is implicated in many mental health issues including anxiety and OCD. But what does that mean? Are there ways we can see if our child is struggling with inflammation? Are there things we can change in their diet or lifestyle that will reduce inflammation?

I don’t know those answers, but I do know someone who does! That is why I invited Dr. Ann Kulze, a renowned physician and founder of the Healthy Living School to come and talk to us. Dr. Ann has been featured on the Dr. Oz show, Oprah and Friends Radio, Time, and WebMD sharing her expertise in this area.

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