AT Parenting Survival | Raising Kids with OCD & Anxiety

I'll be back next week with all new episodes, but this week I am replaying the most popular episode on the AT Parenting Survival Podcast. Helping sensitive children navigate our world is a tool many of us raising anxious kids need to know. This episode goes into how to help sensitive kids handle mean people (or perceived mean people). See you next week!***This podcast is for informational purposes...

I know there are a bazillion awareness weeks and months. Every cause, issue or disease has a color or a month. But I wanted to talk to you about why OCD Awareness Week is so important and how you can take part with even the smallest of gestures. OCD is one of the most misunderstood disorders. Which is sad considering it can be one of the most debilitating conditions a person can experience. Part o...

One of the biggest struggles parents have is motivating their child to work on OCD. Who can blame them? Working on OCD can be extremely difficult and overwhelming. But, there is a tool in the toolbox that many parents haven’t explored – that’s ACT. In this week’s episode on the AT Parenting Survival Podcast, I invited Dr. Patricia Zurita Ona (Dr. Z) on to talk to us about how we can use ACT to hel...

We many think my sweet, anxious child will never do drugs. In fact, how could she? She’s afraid of her own shadow! I am right there with you. But our young, anxious kids often turn into depressed, overwhelmed teens. The last thing we want is for them to self medicate. That’s why talking about drugs when they are young is so important. There comes a time when our kids think we “don’t get it.” Our k...

It seems like more and more these days we are having to cope with some horrific things. Mass shootings, school shootings, bombings, hate crimes, environmental disasters and devastating weather are things that we and our children have to contend with all too often. How do we talk to kids when something bad happened? It is tricky. Many of us just avoid it altogether. But unfortunately our kids do no...

Dealing with extreme picky eating can be a lonely journey. Barely anyone gets it. People will tell you all sorts of things. Some to lift you up and some to tear you down, but neither wind up being helpful. He won’t starve to death You should force him to eat (as if it was just that easy!) If he was my child… (that’s never a good sentence) Aren’t all kids kind of picky? You let her eat just that?!...

Hands down the number one fear I deal with as a child therapist is the fear of bad guys. It isn’t surprising. I remember being a child myself, sitting in my bed, blanket up to my neck, wondering not if, but when would I be attacked. The fear is often dealt with platitudes like:I’m right here Who is going to hurt you Nothing has ever happened to you Why do you worry so muchIn this week’s AT Parenti...

This podcast is for informational purposes only and should not be used to replace the guidance of a qualified professional. Interested in my AT Parenting Community Membership? Click below to join us!http://www.atparentingcommunity.comSign up for my weekly email newsletter:https://pages.convertkit.com/740ba8cd83/92109b7172To sign up for my online class on How to Crush Social Anxiety (for Adults & K...

You are done. You can’t take it anymore. When will things get better? How long is this going to last? Will things ever change? Raising a child with anxiety or OCD can be beyond exhausting. You are not alone. Many of us have been there. We know what it is like to want to hit the escape button. We know what it is like to go to bed ridden with your own feelings of anxiety and hopelessness. All the Wh...

This podcast is for informational purposes only and should not be used to replace the guidance of a qualified professional. Interested in my AT Parenting Community Membership? Click below to join us!http://www.atparentingcommunity.comSign up for my weekly email newsletter:https://pages.convertkit.com/740ba8cd83/92109b7172To sign up for my online class on How to Crush Social Anxiety (for Adults & K...

 “We don’t see it, he’s great for us.” “Nope, we don’t have any issues with her.” “Anxiety? Are you sure?” “OCD? I never see him wash his hands.” (eye roll to that one) “He is a perfect angel when he is with me.”Ugh. These types of comments can make you doubt all that you know and see. Is it me? Am I causing her anxiety? Am I causing this behavior? Do I make his OCD worse? You are not alone....

This podcast is for informational purposes only and should not be used to replace the guidance of a qualified professional. Visit my website at www. ATparentingSurvival.comInterested in my AT Parenting Community Membership? Click below to join us!http://www.atparentingcommunity.comSign up for my weekly email newsletter:https://pages.convertkit.com/740ba8cd83/92109b7172Take one of my online classes...

This podcast is for informational purposes only and should not be used to replace the guidance of a qualified professional. Visit my website at www. ATparentingSurvival.comInterested in my AT Parenting Community Membership? Click below to join us!http://www.atparentingcommunity.comSign up for my weekly email newsletter:https://pages.convertkit.com/740ba8cd83/92109b7172Take one of my online classes...

The kids are huddled in the corner of the room. It is dark. It is quiet. They are told not to talk. They are told to hide behind objects and lock the classroom door. Some kids are shaking. Some kids have wide eyes. This is not an emergency situation. These are lockdown drills. This can be very unnerving for any child, but for anxious children this has the potential to cause ongoing fear and p...

We all see anxiety differently. We bring our own baggage, or own history and our own issues along for the ride. Often moms and dads see anxiety differently. Sometimes it can be the source of disagreements and hurt feelings. And sometimes it can open our eyes to a new way of looking at things. This week I invited Jason from Dad University to have a chat on the AT Parenting Survival Podcast and talk...

Bumpy socks, lumpy food, loud noises, large crowds, startling automatic toilet flushers…these are just a few things that can completely overwhelm some of our anxious kids. But don’t make the mistake of putting them in the same category with all your child’s other anxiety issues. Sensory related anxiety is different. And… it should be treated differently as well. Anxious kids tend to have more sens...

This podcast is for informational purposes only and should not be used to replace the guidance of a qualified professional. Visit my website at www. ATparentingSurvival.comInterested in my AT Parenting Community Membership? Click below to join us!http://www.atparentingcommunity.comSign up for my weekly email newsletter:https://pages.convertkit.com/740ba8cd83/92109b7172Take one of my online classes...

This podcast is for informational purposes only and should not be used to replace the guidance of a qualified professional. Visit my website at www. ATparentingSurvival.comInterested in my AT Parenting Community Membership? Click below to join us!http://www.atparentingcommunity.comSign up for my weekly email newsletter:https://pages.convertkit.com/740ba8cd83/92109b7172Take one of my online classes...

This podcast is for informational purposes only and should not be used to replace the guidance of a qualified professional. Visit my website at www. ATparentingSurvival.comInterested in my AT Parenting Community Membership? Click below to join us!http://www.atparentingcommunity.comSign up for my weekly email newsletter:https://pages.convertkit.com/740ba8cd83/92109b7172Take one of my online classes...

They dig their heels in. They refuse to go. They refuse to eat. They refuse to move. Oppositional behavior in a child with OCD or anxiety can be all consuming. So, what are you supposed to do? Well for starters, treating it as typical oppositional behavior won’t work. Either will typical parenting approaches. When a child with OCD or anxiety is being difficult, their opposition is vastly different...

This podcast is for informational purposes only and should not be used to replace the guidance of a qualified professional. Visit my website at www. ATparentingSurvival.comInterested in my AT Parenting Community Membership? Click below to join us!http://www.atparentingcommunity.comSign up for my weekly email newsletter:https://pages.convertkit.com/740ba8cd83/92109b7172Take one of my online classes...

This podcast is for informational purposes only and should not be used to replace the guidance of a qualified professional. Visit my website at www. ATparentingSurvival.comInterested in my AT Parenting Community Membership? Click below to join us!http://www.atparentingcommunity.comSign up for my weekly email newsletter:https://pages.convertkit.com/740ba8cd83/92109b7172Take one of my online classes...

This podcast is for informational purposes only and should not be used to replace the guidance of a qualified professional. Visit my website at www. ATparentingSurvival.comInterested in my AT Parenting Community Membership? Click below to join us!http://www.atparentingcommunity.comSign up for my weekly email newsletter:https://pages.convertkit.com/740ba8cd83/92109b7172Take one of my online classes...

This podcast is for informational purposes only and should not be used to replace the guidance of a qualified professional. Visit my website at www. ATparentingSurvival.comInterested in my AT Parenting Community Membership? Click below to join us!http://www.atparentingcommunity.comSign up for my weekly email newsletter:https://pages.convertkit.com/740ba8cd83/92109b7172Take one of my online classes...

This podcast is for informational purposes only and should not be used to replace the guidance of a qualified professional. Visit my website at www. ATparentingSurvival.comInterested in my AT Parenting Community Membership? Click below to join us!http://www.atparentingcommunity.comSign up for my weekly email newsletter:https://pages.convertkit.com/740ba8cd83/92109b7172Take one of my online classes...