Your Anxiety Toolkit - Practical Skills for Anxiety, Panic & Depression

Kristin Neff Talks All Things Self-Compassion Hello there CBT School friends and family,  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: Website: https://self-compassion.org Workbook: https://self-compassion.org/mindful-self-compassion-workbook/ 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.  Click here to sign up.   https://www.cbtschool.com/p/erp-school-lp

The Science of Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP) Welcome back to another episode of Your Anxiety Toolkit Podcast.   Today we are talking about the science behind Exposure and Response Prevention.  I know a lot of you have a lot of questions about why we would ever put ourselves in a position to be MORE anxious and MOST uncertain.   But, there are many reasons why and today we are going to dive into The Science of Exposure and Response Prevention . To put it simply, we instinctually we run from fear.  We go into fight, flight and freeze when we are faced with serious, dangerous events. In emergency situations, this is the most sophisticated human response.  We are so lucky we have this response, as it keeps up alive and well.   However, in our era, we are often bombarded by THOUGHTS of serious, dangerous events and this causes our brain to make mistakes about the imminence of danger.  We experience the thought as if it were an imminent threat - right here, danger in close quarters, etc.  The problem is that we react to this thought or sensation or urge as if it IS an imminent threat.  We run away, we fight it or we freeze.   What happens when we do this is that we reinforce that the thought IS dangerous and, because we responded in this way, a cycle that is created.  Fear --> avoidance response --> fear….and the cycle continues.  <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> So, what can we do instead of fight, flight or freeze? We can stare our fear right in the face.  We do this by performing Exposure and Response Prevention.  Exposure and Response Prevention includes changing our behavior, or response, to the original thought or obsession and exposing ourselves to our feared consequence.  Now, if you hate the idea of this, you are not alone.   <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph -->  In this week's podcast, we address the science behind Exposure & Response Prevention to help motivate and inform you of WHY ERP is so important and HOW it changes our brains.  If you need help with this, now is the time to act.   <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> ERP School, our online course that teaches you all the most important components of ERP for Obsessive Compulsive Disorder, is BACK, but act fast because it is only available until February 14th, 2019!    <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> 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.    <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> The course is a video-based course that includes modules on  <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:list {"ordered":true} --> 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 <!-- /wp:list --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> 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.   <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> 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!  <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> If you are worried about doing it alone, please don’t fear.  We meet bi-monthly on the FB group and on IG to talk about questions you may have.  <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> Click HERE to sign up.    <!-- /wp:paragraph -->

Overcoming Harm OCD with Jon Hershfield Welcome back to another episode of Your Anxiety Toolkit Podcast.  Today we have a special guest, Jon Hershfield, LMFT.  Jon has been on the show already and is a favorite among the CBT School-ers. Today, Jon and I talk about how to manage specific obsessions related to violence and physical harm.  In OCD terms, we call it Harm Obsessions or Harm OCD (if you meet the requirements for a diagnosis of Obsessive Compulsive Disorder or OCD). In this episode, Jon answers some important questions such as:  Does everyone have Harm Obsessions, thoughts, impulses or images?  Why do these Harm Obsessions bother some people and not others?  What is the difference between a Harm OCD  and having thoughts about harm?  Are people with Harm OCD any different than those who have other types of OCD?  How do we treat Harm OCD?  This was such a fun episode and I really hope it helps those with harm obsessions, thoughts, images, impulses, and urges (Harm OCD). Fore more information on Jon's latest book, Overcoming Harm OCD: Mindfulness and CBT Tools for Coping with Unwanted Violent Thoughts, click HERE. For more information on Jon Hershfield, visit: Website: Ocdbaltimore.com Twitter: @cbtocd IG: @ocdbaltimore FB: @JonHershfield GOOD NEWS!……WE HAVE A HUGE SURPRISE!  On January 28th, 2019, we are offering our FREE webinar called “10 THINGS YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT OCD.”  This is a FREE online video course explaining exactly what OCD is, how to treat it and what complicating factors can occur during the process.    This free webinar will run daily at 6pm PST for one week ONLY.  If you are not able to attend the free webinar, no stress! There will be a free replay sent to your inbox the day after signing up. I cannot wait to share this FREE educational resource with you.   CLICK HERE TO SIGN UP!  ALSO, ERP School is COMING BACK!   Exposure and Response Prevention 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 Facebook group and on Instagram to talk about questions you may have.  Click HERE to sign up.

Michelle Massi, LMFT, Talks To Us About Managing Social Anxiety Welcome back to Your Anxiety Toolkit. After multiple suggestions and requests, we are so excited to share with you an episode that focuses entirely on managing Social Anxiety.   I am so excited to share with you the amazing, Michelle Massi (formally known as Michelle Otelsberg). Michelle Massi, LMFT, is an OCD and Anxiety Specialist who has both a private practice in Encino and Westwood and also works at the UCLA OCD Intensive Treatment Program.  Michelle works one-on-one and runs group therapy, and has a ton of experience treating Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD), Social Anxiety, Panic Disorder, TICS, Body-Focused Repetitive Behavior’s (BFRBs) and other anxiety-related disorders. In this episode of Your Anxiety Toolkit, we talk about all things Social Anxiety.  Michelle and I talk about the presentation of Social Anxiety and different symptoms that can present when ones struggles with Social Anxiety.  Michelle talks about different themes and fears related to social anxiety and how there is no one-size-fits-all approach to social anxiety presentation. Michelle and I also discuss different approaches to Social Anxiety treatment and some fun ways to practice facing your fears and tolerating the fear of judgment from others.  We discuss the use of Cognitive Therapy, Behavioral therapy, and Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP), as well as the use of Mindfulness and Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT). Also, please get super excited! ERP School is BACK!   Exposure and Response Prevention 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 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. Click HERE to sign up.   For more information about Michelle, Anxiety Therapy LA, and the UCLA OCD Intensive Outpatient Program: Anxiety Therapy LA: Anxietytherapyla.com Instagram: @anxietytherapyla UCLA OCD Program: https://www.semel.ucla.edu/ocd-itp

Steven Hayes Talks Acceptance & Commitment Therapy (ACT) Welcome back to another INCREDIBLE episode of Your Anxiety Toolkit Podcast! Today we have an amazing guest, Steven Hayes. Steven Hayes is a clinical psychologist and professor at the University of Nevada.  Steven Hayes has done so much for the psychology field, writing a whopping 44 books (wow, right?!) and many research articles.  Steven Hayes also developed the evidence-based therapeutic modality that I use in my therapy office every day: Acceptance & Commitment Therapy (also known as ACT).  ACT is a wonderful compliment to Exposure & Response Prevention (ERP), as it relies heavily on Mindfulness, positive reinforcement and using Value-Based Behaviors. In this interview, Steven Hayes and I discuss what Acceptance & Commitment Therapy (ACT) involves and how we can learn to diffuse from our thoughts.  You will find this especially helpful with you have anxiety, Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD), Panic Disorder, Social Anxiety, and Depression, mostly because we tend to fuse a lot with our thoughts when we struggle with these disorders.  However, the truth is, we all could learn the skill of diffusion and Steven Hayes does an amazing job of expelling why.   Steven Hayes also teaches us useful ACT tools to stay present, and the practice of living a life that is based on values, not fear or anxiety. My favorite part of the interview is where Steven Hayes discussed why our thoughts sometimes link together and how it is completely a waste of time trying to block, suppress or avoid thoughts.   I am sure you will agree that Steven Hayes is a genius and that he has so much to teach us about our brain, our psyche and how we can react batter to our thoughts. AND…..WE HAVE A HUGE SURPRISE! ERP School is BACK!   Exposure and Response Prevention 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, and interoceptive exposures, as well as 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 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. Click HERE to sign up. If you would like further information on Steven Hayes and access to his FREE mini course, visit http://www.stevenchayes.com/.  Click HERE for more info on Steven Hayes' workbook Get Out of Your Mind and Into Your Life, as well as his other books.

Staring Fear In The Face With Four Powerful Statements Hello there CBT School Rockstars!  Happy New Year!   In this week’s episode of Your Anxiety Toolkit, I want to give you the 4 Powerful Statements you need in 2019.  Even though this is directed at you for the new year, this episode is created in hope to get you ready for any circumstance and any time in your life.   So here they are! The #1 Powerful Statement you need in 2019 is……. “There is nothing wrong with me” The #2 Powerful Statement you need in 2019 is…….“I radically accept this situation”   The #3 Powerful Statement you need in 2019 is……….“I am making the decisions around here from now on”  The #4 Powerful Statement you need in 2019 is……“It is a beautiful day to do hard things”  The whole purpose of this podcast episode is to help you move away from a life where fear makes all of your decisions and towards a life where we stare fear in the face and live the life we want to live as if fear wasn’t there at all.   We want to ask ourselves what we would do if fear never showed up and then go live that life while only bringing fear along for the ride. CBTschool.com has many ways we want to help you “do hard things” in 2019 and we hope that these 4 Powerful Statements will help you move in that direction.    We are excited to announce that ERP School is coming back in January.  Click HERE for more info.  ERP School is an online course that teaches all the Exposure & Response Prevention Tools you will need to manage Obsessive Compulsive Disorder, Panic Disorder, Health Anxiety, and Social Anxiety. We are also excited to announce that BFRB School is also coming back in January.  Click HERE for more info.  BFRB School is a course that teaches those with Compulsive Skin Picking (Dermatillomania & Excoriation Disorder), Hair Pulling (Trichotillomania) and Compulsive Nail Biting the science-based tools they need to manage their symptoms and live a full life. Sending you much love and healing vibes, Kimberley

"You WILL get through this!" Interview with Fashion Blogger and OCD Advocate Jemma MrDak Hello there CBT School Community!  Welcome back to another episode of Your Anxiety Toolkit Podcast.  Today, we are so excited to share with you Jemma Mrdak.  Jemma is a well-known Australian Fashion and Lifestyle Blogger and an avid Mental Health advocate.  I first heard about Jemma on social media after she bravely came out and talked about her experience with Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD) on the Today show.  As soon as I saw her interview, I knew she would be such an inspiration to you all.   In this episode, Jemma talks about her struggles with Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD), specifically checking and tapping compulsions.  Jemma talks about being so overwhelmed with anxiety that she was unable to get to school on time and fell behind in her studies. Jemma also talks about her success with seeking treatment from a Cognitive Behavioral Therapist (CBT) and how she used her tools to help her get her life back from OCD.  Jemma also shared her love for nature and exercise and how that helped her get in touch with the practice of Mindfulness.  If you are feeling hopeless about your future and questioning if you are able to get better at managing your anxiety and OCD, this episode is for you.  Jemma is so great at sharing what was easy, what was really hard and what roadblocks she came across in her treatment journey.  She is truly an inspiration and will give you some amazing words of wisdom to help with on your journey to mental wellness.  For more info on Jemma, visit the below: Website: astylishmoment.com IG: @astylishmoment   Before we go, GET EXCITED!  ERP School is almost here again.  ERP School will be re-released in late January.   Click HERE to be the first one alerted by signing up to be on the waitlist.  

How Practicing Self-Respect Can Lead to Self-Compassion Hello there CBT School Family! I am so thrilled to share another episode of Your Anxiety Toolkit Podcast with you.   You guys know me well enough to know that I am a huge fan and advocate for the practice of self-compassion.  I love sharing the benefits of self-compassion and helpful ways to put it into practice.  However, over the past few months, I have heard the hopelessness in some of your voices when you share with me that self-compassion just feels too hard and too triggering.  Maybe you feel like you don’t deserve to be kind to yourself, which is common in Anxiety, Depression and Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD), or you are afraid that practicing self-compassion will mean you lose control and become a lazy, useless bum (none of this is true, BTW).   For those of you who are struggles with self-compassion, this podcast is for you.  Today we are talking all about how practicing self-respect can lead to self-compassion.  Self-respect is all about honoring your right to be treated fairly and kindly.  It is all about not treating yourself in a way that is disrespectful and hurtful.  We all deserve to be treated equally and fairly, and this is a practice that is crucial if you ever want to master the practice of self-compassion.   In this episode of Your Anxiety Toolkit Podcast, we will discuss effective ways to practice self-respect and learn how self-respect leads us towards the beneficial practice of self-compassion.     During the podcast episode, we take a look at how you can improve self-respect by addressing these important questions.  1) Do my behaviors represent and reflect self-respect?  2) Do my behaviors respect my values?  3) Do my behaviors respect my beliefs?   4) Do my behaviors allow me to achieve my goals and values? 5) What are some times I have felt a true sense of self-respect?  6) Does my behavior lead me towards a sense of mastery (of a skill or a situation)? 7) What behaviors am I doing that damage my sense of self-respect?     I hope this podcast episode brings you closer to the practice of self-respect and self-compassion.   These are two concepts I am very invested in and I hope you find them helpful.  

How to Thrive and Survive The Holidays Happy Holidays Everyone! Well, the holiday season is here and if you’re anything like me, you’re feeling slightly overwhelmed and stressed because of all you have to do, and all of the emotions that go along with the holidays. This is a common time of the year where we can experience very high emotions such as joy, happiness and excitement, but we also experience a lot of difficult emotions such as fear, panic, depression, hopelessness, grief and loneliness. Given that this is such a universal experience during the holiday period, we thought it was a great opportunity to bring on Alison Seponara who is a Licensed Professional Counselor in the state of Pennsylvania to talk about How to Thrive and Survive the Holidays.  This episode is particularly important if you are also managing a mental illness or other psychological stressors. It is not uncommon for anxiety and depression to worsen during the holiday period, so we wanted to be sure to bring you multiple tools to help you Thrive and Survive the Holidays. In this interview Alison and I talk about important topics that can really impact our mental wellness during the Holiday season.  In this podcast, we address the following: Grief and how the holidays can bring up grief you were not expecting Anxiety and how it is often increased due to the stress of the holiday period and the presence of triggering family members Social anxiety and how it can cause us to dread the holiday period The fear of saying no to family members and events that you don’t think are healthy for you to attend The financial struggles that go along with the holidays The overwhelming expectation to feel nothing but joy and celebration The most important point Alison and I made during this episode of Your Anxiety Toolkit is that YOU DO NOT HAVE TO FEEL BAD IF YOU ARE NOT ENJOYING THE HOLIDAYS.  Alison made some great points in reassuring you that it is ok and totally normal to struggle instead of feeling festive.  I hope you find this podcast helpful and you now feel ready to thrive and survive the holidays. IG: @therapywithali FB: Alison Seponara https://www.alisonseponara.com/

Tips To Help You Share Your Mental Illness With Others Welcome back to Your Anxiety Toolkit podcast! Recently on the podcast, I shared my own personal journey of struggling (and now managing) significant anxiety, disordered eating and life stressors. It was a scary, yet brave thing for me to do and I am so glad I did.  Because I am constantly telling others that “It is a beautiful day to do hard things,” I figured I have to walk the walk, not just talk the talk.   It was such an amazing experience to hear many of your reflections and own personal stories on these difficult issues.   What surprised me was that one of the most common questions I heard from you guys (my lovely CBT School community and YAY Podcast listeners) was, “HOW do I share my story?”  So many people reached out and shared that they wish they had the courage and “know-how” to start telling others about their journey with mental illness.  Maybe you want to empower others?  Maybe you want to get it off your chest?  Maybe you want to reduce the stigma around your own disorder and mental health struggles?  So, you know what I did? I called the person I most respect when it comes to sharing her story, Shala Nicely.   Together we recorded a podcast episode and talked about what you might want to consider when making the decision to share your story.  Shala shared many beautiful personal examples of her own process of writing a memoir about her journey with Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD) and how she handled the ups and downs of this process.   Shala and I also talked about HOW to share what you are struggling with a friend or loved one.  Shala gives some wonderful tips to decide who to share with and why it might not be who you would have first considered.   What no one can prepare you for is your own mental roller coaster that occurs when you share information about yourself.  We also address self-criticism and dealing with what I call “sharing remorse” or what Brene Brown calls a “vulnerability hangover” after telling someone your deep dark secrets.  One of the things I love the most about Shala is that she is honest and open about the ups AND the downs of sharing.  She shares what it is like for her to handle negative feedback and how she manages that through Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP).   I hope this helps you come to a decision for yourself.