When Living With OCD, How Do You Take Care of Yourself? 3 Self-Care Tips for Managing OCD
Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD) is something most people have heard of, but many people haven’t actually experienced it. OCD has become a catch-all term used to describe preferences and habits, regardless of whether the person actually has OCD or not. OCD is not an adjective. For example, people might say they are “OCD about cleaning” […]
Treating OCD with Exposure and Response Prevention
Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD) is often the most misunderstood diagnosis as there are false and/or limited perceptions around how OCD may show up in someone’s life. Often movies or TV shows depict a person with OCD as someone who washes their hands excessively or likes things in a certain way. This can lead to people […]
Is Your Mental Health at a Breaking Point? 5 Things You Can Do Today to Drastically Improve Your Mental Health
No matter how well you generally cope with pressure, there is no denying that the past two years have been exceptionally stressful. And this is just a baseline! For some of us, we have had to cope with struggles unrelated to COVID-19, and for others, the pandemic has made everything so much worse. Whether you […]
OCD is not an adjective! How to better understand and manage OCD
When my kids mix their play-doh colors, I get so OCD. I am so OCD during Christmas, you know, the Obsessive Christmas Disorder. I’m so OCD; I like everything neat and clean. Don’t be so OCD; just do it. My kid is such a picky eater; he is so OCD about his food. Sadly, you’ve […]
Problems Caused by Black-and-White thinking and How to Break the Habit
We have all probably experienced a moment where some issue or obstacle overwhelmed us, and we thought, “If I don’t do x, then I might as well not bother” or “If x happens, I’m a failure.” These types of thoughts can be especially prevalent in situations where the stakes are high or where we are […]
Compassion Over Perfection: How to Turn Your Inner Critic Into Your Loudest Cheerleader!
Whether we want to or not, we all have an inner critic inside who speaks to us about the things we do, the things we don’t do, our goals, our successes, and our perceived failures. An inner critic is the judgmental inner dialogue we have with ourselves; for some of us, the inner critic shows […]
How is Therapy Working Out for You?
The year is 2021, and you are still on the fence about whether or not there are benefits to therapy in general, or for yourself personally. Perhaps you have spent a lot of time surrounded by people who have stigmatized therapy, therapists, psychology, or any number of mental health outlets and components. Perhaps you haven’t […]
3 compulsions that get in the way of your OCD recovery
When you live with OCD, you go to great lengths to eliminate anxiety and bring calmness in to your life. You are adamant to get your power back; but OCD finds a way to be ahead of you. Its creative nature endlessly finds something to question in your life, whether it is your relationship, your […]
What is CBT?
CBT stands for Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy. Among its very effective tools, the fundamental principle of CBT proposes that our thoughts affect our emotions, which affect our behaviors. On a good day, it looks something like this: I think to myself “this isn’t that hard,” so I feel “confident,” “interested” and/or “able,” which motivates me to pursue […]
Comparison Trap
Comparison trap is a dead-end street. It always ends with feeling bad about yourself. It leaves you feeling unaccomplished, not good enough and unworthy. It can lead to feeling resentful, angry or jealous. It never leads to positivity, self-confidence or motivation. Theodore Roosevelt is quoted to say; “Comparison is the thief of joy.” So why […]