Three Mindfulness Basics for Anxiety and Depression
Welcome back to another episode of Your Anxiety Toolkit Podcast.
Do you ever feel like you have to go back to basics? Maybe you feel overwhelmed with all the “tools” and strategies you need to practice to manage your anxiety, obsessions, compulsions, and emotions. Maybe you are feeling like you need to simplify your mental health practices so that you only have a few things to manage instead of many.
If you are feeling this way, you are not alone. I recently realized that I had to return back to some mindfulness basics and review the tools that helped me many years ago. In today’s episode of Your Anxiety Toolkit, I talked about the 3 mindfulness basics for anxiety and depression that you must return to when you are struggling with anxiety, stress, life events, depression, and grief.
In this episode, we talk about how we sometimes refuse to go back to the basics because we are afraid it means we are “going backward.” We dispel this myth and address how these 3 mindfulness basics for anxiety and depression can recharge our mental health plan and practice.
If you’d like to learn more about mindfulness skills that I teach my face-to-face clients who struggle with Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD), we have an online course available on CBTschool.com called Mindfulness School for OCD. Click HERE to learn more and sign up.
Before we go, I want to remind you of two wonderful upcoming events! The TLC Foundation will host their annual conference on Body-Focused Repetitive Behaviors from May 2-4 in Virginia. Click HERE for more information and to buy tickets. Also, the IOCDF Annual Conference will be held in Austin, Texas, from July 19-21. I will be speaking at this event and love seeing you there! Click HERE for more information and to buy tickets.
Do you ever wonder what life will look like after OCD Treatment? If so, this is the podcast episode for you!
We are talking all about the common emotions involved with the recovery process from mental illnesses such as Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD), Anxiety, and depression in today’s episode of Your Anxiety Toolkit Podcast. Many of you have asked for more episodes about the emotional side of Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD), Anxiety, Depression, Eating Disorders, and Body Focused Repetitive Behaviors (BFRB’s), as well as what life is like after mental illness.
In today’s episode, we talk with Christopher Tronsden on Rebuilding Life After OCD. In this episode, Chris Tronsden talks about his childhood of “confusion” about his symptoms and thoughts and how he was claimed to be a “difficult child.” Chris Tronsden also talks about how he moved towards isolation after being wrongly diagnosed with other mental illnesses, and resultantly survived a suicide attempt. Chris shares the emotions he experienced after this suicide attempt and how it led him to finding the correct treatment for OCD (Exposure and Response Prevention) and moving towards Rebuilding life after OCD Treatment.
What I loved the most about Chris’ story is how beautifully he explains and articulates the process of building up the courage to perform Exposure and Response Prevention and then having to manage the painful experience of anger and loss after his OCD treatment. Chris Trondsen explains how he had to have some difficult conversations with loved ones and himself before he could turn his battle into something that was meaningful.
Chris ends the podcast episode with a beautiful message of hope for those who are at all stages of treatment and recovery. His message really does give hope to those who are embarking on the process of rebuilding life after OCD Treatment.
Thank you, Christopher Trondsen, for a beautiful interview.
Dr. Jed Siev Talks Religious (scrupulosity) and Moral Obsessions
Welcome back to another episode of Your Anxiety Toolkit Podcast. Today, I am so thrilled to talk with you about Religious and Moral Obsessions. In this episode, I was honored to talk with Dr. Jed Siev. Dr. Jed Siev is an Associate Professor in the Psychology Department at Swarthmore College and is skilled in treating Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD), specifically Religious and Moral Obsessions. Religious and Moral Obsessions are very common among OCD sufferers and I am so thrilled to share with you.
I was able to take some questions from followers on Instagram (@kimberleyquinlan) for this episode and Jed Siev did such a great job of bringing compassion, skill, and research into the conversation.
Here are some of the questions we addressed in the interview:
What is scrupulosity?
What are the common obsessions and compulsions for Religious (scrupulosity) and Moral Obsessions?
How does Scrupulosity differ from Moral Obsessions?
What does treatment for Religious (scrupulosity) and Moral Obsessions consist of?
Does treatment for Religious and Moral Obsessions differ for different common religions?
The below questions from listeners are addressed:
Is it helpful to involve a member of clergy when treating religious OCD?
Is it common to question whether you are a good person or just do a good thing to prove you are a good person?
How do you practice acceptance of thoughts and obsessions even if it feels so against your morals?
When you struggle with religious (scrupulosity) and Moral Obsessions, how do you teach your younger child to pray?
Why is there such a strong feeling of guilt attached to Religious (scrupulosity) and Moral Obsessions?
How do you address the fear of doing things that are disloyal?
What to do if you keep judging your actions?
What to do if you keep putting shame on yourself?
Thank you for everyone who submitted these questions. I am sure you will find this episode very, very helpful, as I learned so much from Jed Seiv.
EXCITING NEWS…OCDeconstruct is THIS WEEKEND!! OCDeconstruct is a free online conference designed to give those with OCD, and their loved ones, the information needed to understand key concepts related to the disorder so they can get a productive start on treatment. During the conference, six therapists will present on topics including intrusive thoughts, ERP, family dynamics, medicine and more. OCDeconstruct happens on Saturday, April 13 and will run about 4 hours.
Welcome back to another episode of Your Anxiety Toolkit. You are going to LOVE this week’s podcast interview with Dr. Reid Wilson. For those who don’t know Dr. Reid Wilson, he is a world-class specialist in the area of Anxiety Disorders. Dr. Reid Wilson is the Director of the Anxiety Disorders Treatment Center in Chapel Hill and Durham, NC, and is Adjunct Associate Professor of Psychiatry at the University of North Carolina School of Medicine.
Dr. Reid Wilson is a Founding Clinical Fellow of the Anxiety and Depression Association of America and a Fellow of the Association for Behavioral and Cognitive Therapies. So, I am sure you are wowed already, but wait for it! This episode will blow your mind even more.
In this week’s episode, I talk with Dr. Reid Wilson about a perspective change and an attitude change from one where we do not want anxiety to one where we WANT anxiety. I know this may seem strange, but believe me, this will change your whole game when it comes to the treatment of anxiety, Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD) and other anxiety disorders.
In this episode, we address the following topics.
Why do we want anxiety?
What is going on in our brains when we have anxiety and when we face our fears
How to get a client to do Exposure & Response Prevention
How to Engage the Ambivalent or resistant OCD Client
A different approach to the ERP hierarchy?
How to have a complete Attitude change about fear and anxiety.
Please consult Reid’s other site, Anxieties.com, for additional information, videos, resources, and treatment options.
Before we go, I have a few exciting events to tell you about! I’ll be speaking at both the OCD SoCal Conference and OCDeconstruct.
On Saturday, March 30, I will be speaking at the OCD Southern California 4thAnnual Conference alongside other OCD specialists and advocates. I’ll be speaking during the breakout session titled Managing OCD Roadblocks: Creative and Effective Tools to Tackle ERP. For registration information, visit ocdsocal.org or click HERE.
OCDeconstruct is a free online conference designed to give those with OCD, and their loved ones, the information needed to understand key concepts related to the disorder so they can get a productive start on treatment. During the conference, six therapists will present on topics including intrusive thoughts, ERP, family dynamics, medicine and more. OCDeconstruct happens on Saturday, April 13 and will run about 4 hours.
Do you want to get weekly free content from us, right to your inbox? SIGN UP HERE FOR OUR NEW WEEKLY NEWSLETTER! The weekly newsletter includes free mental health tips and tools, information about upcoming events with Kimberley. and free coupons for CBT School products.
Welcome back to another episode of Your Anxiety Toolkit Podcast! Want to know four massive changes I have made in my life? Well, here you go! In today’s episode, I will present to you four massive changes that I have made in my life that have changed the way I see myself, the way I spend my time and, lastly, the approach I have with perfectionism and mistakes.
If you are someone who is hard on yourself, beats yourself up for not being perfect or productive or just for existing, this episode might be really helpful for you. If you are someone who lets fear stop you from pursuing your dreams or even doing a smaller task, this is the episode for you. In this podcast episode, we will address time management, setting intentions and surrounding yourself with people who will inspire you and hold you accountable to your big dreams and with the hard struggles you are going through.
One of the points I am so excited about is my new plan to FAIL MORE! Yes, you heard and read correctly. I plan to fail more this year. More than I ever have. As Amy Porterfield says in this podcast episode, failing can get you closer to your goals. As I also plan to aim higher and be 100% intentional as I go.
The massive changes I have made in my life have made me into a bolder, braver and more confident person. I hope they inspire you too.
Welcome to another episode of Your Anxiety Toolkit podcast. This week’s podcast episode is very dear to my heart. My intention with this podcast is to give you all some direction with food and body, specifically if you struggle with immense fear around food. This week’s episode has the most amazing guest, Evelyn Tribole, the author of Intuitive Eating: A Revolutionary Program That Works.
In this week’s interview, we break down some of the barriers between fear and food. Evelyn does a great job at identifying why there is so much fear surrounding food, addressing societal, cultural and familial rules around food. We discussed how, for many, food creates anxiety for us personally, or how our anxiety manifests a bad relationship with food.
Evelyn Tribole discusses :
What is Intuitive Eating?
Why is Intuitive Eating so important?
What is diet culture and why is it such an important concept to understand?
What happens when you don’t Intuitively Eat?
Evelyn also answers some questions given specifically by the CBT School family. Here are a few questions she addressed:
How can I introduce myself to Intuitive Eating?
What are the steps of Intuitive Eating?
How do I avoid the extremes of eating? I am either eating “too unhealthy and too healthy as a compulsion.”
How do I address Emotional Eating or “bad” eating because of a hard day?
How do I attempt Intuitive Eating if I HAVE to lose weight because of health reasons?
How do I manage the fear of gaining more weight?
How do you make all foods neutral whilst also finding joy in food?
How do I not get trapped in diet culture?
How long does it take to get a good handle of Intuitive Eating?
How do I begin to desire and have the persistence to intuitively eat while having an Eating Disorder?
Due to mood changes, how can I eat when I don’t want to?
What is the best way to stick with Intuitive Eating?
What is the best way to approach Nutrition for Anxiety Disorder?
How does Anxiety impact hunger cues. etc.?
How do I address Avoidant and Restrictive Food Intake Disorder?
Do you want to get weekly free content from us, right to your inbox? SIGN UP HERE FOR OUR NEW WEEKLY NEWSLETTER! The weekly newsletter includes free mental health tips and tools, information about upcoming events with Kimberley. and free coupons for CBT School products.
Not Alone Notes (Morgan Rondinelli and Molly Fishback)
Welcome back to another episode of Your Anxiety Toolkit.
One of the most common statements I get from new clients when I meet them in my office is, “I feel so alone.” After waiting and being so afraid to finally talk with someone about their mental illness and personal struggles, they are overwhelmed with isolation and loneliness. The experience of feeling alone and wondering if you are the only one on this planet that is suffering in this way is a common one. Given the stigma of mental illness, we are often shamed into keeping our mental illness and mental struggles private and suffering in the dark alone.
If you have ever felt this way, or you know someone who feels this way, you are not alone. In this episode of Your Anxiety Toolkit, we talk with Morgan Rondinelli and Molly Fishback about their project called Not Alone Notes. In this episode, Morgan and Molly share their own stories of feeling alone and unseen in their struggles with Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD). Together, they joined hands from across the country to send personally painted and written notes to those with Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD) and Body-Focused Repetitive Behaviors (BFRB’s).
My hope after today’s episode is the you begin to understand that you are not alone and there is a whole community out there who wants you to know that they are on your side.
Here is a little blurb from their website:
“The idea from this project stemmed from becoming pen pals with several friends from OCDcon. Morgan was writing back and forth with them and wanted to somehow reach out to strangers with OCD. Morgan loves snail mail because there is something special about receiving a handwritten letter, so she wanted to pass that on to others.
In October of 2017, it started simply as a link to a Google Form on Morgan’s blog. Shortly after, Molly reached out to Morgan with the idea of handmaking notecards for the project. Not Alone Notes has continued to grow as Molly and Morgan work together to send letters to individuals with OCD and related disorders.”
In this episode, Molly and Morgan get really vulnerable and showcase proof that you are not alone. They talk about their own recovery journey, what it was like to begin Exposure and Response Prevention treatment, and how it feels to be at different stages of recovery. In effort to ensure that you are not alone in this mental health journey, Morgan and Molly also share their specific steps of ERP and how they are getting creative with ERP.
Before we go, I want to talk about my upcoming exciting weekend in Colorado at the OCD Gamechangers event that Chrissie Hodges is putting on. I will be speaking alongside other licensed clinicians on important topics about OCD recovery. OCD advocates will take the stage to discuss the emotional impact that OCD has had on their recovery. The event takes place on Saturday, March 2. Click HERE for more information on the event or to get tickets.
In today’s episode of Your Anxiety Toolkit, we are talking all about the 5 Mistakes We Make When Managing Anxiety, Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD), Depression, Body Focused Repetitive Behaviors (BFRB’s) and any other mental health struggle. This podcast episode got me all fired up and I loved sharing with you bite-sized concepts to consider and marinate on. My hope with this episode of Your Anxiety Toolkit is to help you identify the specific areas where you might be falling into the anxiety trap, and then find ways to manage anxiety more effectively and purposely. We talk about Mindset, Mindfulness and strategic skills you can practice just about anywhere.
As a Marriage and Family Therapist who specializes in the treatment of Anxiety Disorders such as Panic Disorder, Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD), Social Anxiety, Health Anxiety, Eating Disorders and Body Focused Repetitive Behaviors (BFRB’s), I often see my clients engage in behaviors that prevent them from properly managing their anxiety. It is common for us to get stuck in compulsive and compensatory behaviors that cause us to continue to live in fear.
In today’s podcast, I go through the 5 Common Mistakes We Make When Managing Anxiety. Some of these points might surprise you. Others may not. This is not a list of the only mistakes we make. There are lots of ways we can get stuck in the turmoil of anxiety, intrusive thoughts, sensations, panic, urges, obsessions, and compulsions. Please note, that these are 5 mistakes I make when managing anxiety also. I don’t want anyone feeling like they are alone in this. I make these mistakes also. I think we all do, mostly because they are very easy traps to fall into when it comes to the management of anxiety, depression and other mental health issues.
I hope you find this helpful. Thank you to everyone who has left a review for the podcast. This is super helpful and increases our chances of getting really wonderful guests on the show.
The truth is, achieving this thing called “recovery” depends mostly on your definition of recovery. There can be a very big difference of opinion when it comes to what is considered “recovery.”
In today’s podcast, we talk all about recovery and what I like to call, “The FLOW of recovery.” Finding your own Flow of Recovery is what I think will help you so much with the speed and ease of your recovery, not matter what your definition is. I have seen this idea of FLOW of recovery to be a huge part of OCD and Anxiety recovery for many.
As you may know, last week we had the amazing Kristin Neff on the podcast (Ep. 87) where she shared her brilliant research and practice of Mindful Self-Compassion. She shared about the importance of including self-compassion in our everyday lives and different compiments of self-compassion that can help us live a better life. Some people have the faulty belief that self-compassion is for sissys. Some hold onto the huge misconception that the practice of self-compassion will make us weak or lazy or fat or a loser. Many of my clients have told me that they are too afraid to practice (or even consider) practicing self-compassion because it might make them snap and turn lazy and never get out of bed again. So typical of anxiety, isn’t it? Kristin Neff talked about the Yin and Yang of self-compassion (go to that episode to hear more). She believes that self-compassion must include both the Yin of self-compassion, which is like a mother tenderly comforting her crying child and the Yang of self-compassion, which is the mother bear that shows up for ourselves, ferociously protecting her cubs (and us) from harm.
As we mentioned before, many of us struggle with fearing becoming too Yin, and some people do the opposite and are afraid to step into the Yang of self-compassion. As a result, they avoid getting their needs met. They avoid everything. So, when we talk about “The Flow of Recovery” we are talking about using both the Yin and the Yang of self-compassion to help you FLOW. The Flow of Recovery is moving from action to gentleness and rest. The Flow of Recovery involves slowing down sometimes and other times the flow of recovery involves speeding up. Sometimes, the flow of recovery involves moving back and forth between the Yin and Yang quite quickly.
Today, in this podcast, I want to inspire you to begin using both the Yin and YANG of self-compassion. My use of the term the flow of recovery is all about doing the hard things (YANG) and then slowing down to be gentle (YIN). You are going to use these tools, not once, but over and over again. And you are going to find a flow where you swing back and forth and back and forth between action and rest, action and rest.
The action could be ERP, setting a boundary with someone, starting therapy, sharing your struggles with a friend, and the rest is where you get really quiet and ask yourself what it is that you need and make sure you find a way to give that to yourself.
The Flow of Recovery is also the gentle swing of saying really gentle and kind things to yourself and then speaking almost as a coach. “I can do this hard thing!” And “I will get through this” and “I have my own back, unconditionally.”
So, to sum it all up, the principle of Yin and Yang is that all things exist as inseparable and contradictory opposites, and this is so true for recovery.
I urge you to check in and see if you have a Yin and a Yang. How can you add more Yang if you rely too much on Yin? How can you add some Yin if you are stuck in a cycle of all action and no self-care?
And lastly, please note that ERP School is open until February 18th! Shhh…we kept the cart open a few more days.
ERP School is our online course that teaches you all the most important components of ERP for Obsessive Compulsive Disorder.
Exposure and Response Prevention School (ERP School) is an online course that teaches you the tools and skills I teach my clients in my office. Let me tell you a little bit about it.
The course is a video based course that includes modules on
The science behind ERP
Identifying YOUR obsessions and your compulsions
The different approaches and types of ERP, including gradual exposure, writing scripts, interoceptive exposures and how to get creative with ERP
Mindfulness tools to help you manage anxiety, panic and uncertainty
Troubleshoot common questions and concerns
BONUS 6 videos of the most common subtypes of OCD
The course also includes many downloadable PDF’s and activities to help you navigate how to best apply ERP to your specific obsessions and compulsions.
We are so excited to share ERP with you and would love to have you join us and the CBT School Community. It’s a beautiful day to do hard things!
If you are worried about doing it alone, please don’t fear. We meet bi-monthly on the Facebook group and on Instagram to talk about questions you may have.
This week we have a SUPER exciting episode of Your Anxiety Toolkit Podcast to share with you. If you are someone who is hard on yourself, this is THE episode for you. If you are someone who beats yourself up, this is the episode for you. If you need help being self-compassionate, THIS IS THE EPISODE FOR YOU!
I am so thrilled to share with you this week’s podcast guest, Kristin Neff.
Kristin Neff is a pioneering self-compassion researcher, author of one of my favorite workbooks called The Mindful Self-Compassion Workbook, and is a wise and informative teacher of self-compassion. Kristin Neff developed an 8-week online program that teaches self-compassion skills to those who struggle in this area. The program, co-created with her colleague Chris Germer, affiliated with Harvard Medical School, is called Mindful Self-Compassion.
In this episode of Your Anxiety Toolkit Podcast, Kristin Neff addresses what self-compassion is and what it is not. I found this to be incredibly informative, especially for those who struggle to differentiate between self-compassion and self-care. Kristin Neff also addresses why some people struggle with practicing self-compassion, and specifically addresses the cultural and political aspects of this topic.
What I loved the most is how Kristin Neff explains whay self-compassion practices look like, feel like, and sound like. For those who need a most literal description of self-compassion, this conversation will be right up your alley. We also address the Yin & Yang of Self-Compassion and how we often forget the Yang component of Self-Compassion (listen to the full description).
Lastly, for those who find that their negative self-talk increases when they practice self-compassion, Kristin Neff addresses a concept called Backdrafting, and how this is a normal (and even positive) part of Self Compassion.
For more information on Kristin Neff, visit the links below:
And lastly, please note that ERP School is available for one more week!
ERP School, our online course that teaches you all the most important components of ERP for Obsessive Compulsive Disorder, is BACK. Act fast because it is only available until February 14th, 2019!
Exposure and Response Prevention School (ERP School) is an online course that teaches you the tools and skills I teach my clients in my office. Let me tell you a little bit about it.
The course is a video-based course that includes modules on
The science behind ERP
Identifying YOUR obsessions and your compulsions
The different approaches and types of ERP, including gradual exposure, writing scripts, interoceptive exposures and how to get creative with ERP
Mindfulness tools to help you manage anxiety, panic, and uncertainty
Troubleshoot common questions and concerns
BONUS 6 videos of the most common subtypes of OCD, including Harm OCD.
The course also includes many downloadable PDF’s and activities to help you navigate how to best apply ERP to your specific obsessions and compulsions.
We are so excited to finally share ERP with you and would love to have you join us and the CBT School Community. It’s a beautiful day to do hard things!
If you are worried about doing it alone, please don’t fear. We meet bi-monthly on the FB group and on Instagram to talk about questions you may have.
