Your Anxiety Toolkit

How To Be Uncertain In the Management of OCD Welcome to this week's episode of Your Anxiety Toolkit.  When it comes to the management of anxiety, practicing being uncertain is the key to long-term recovery. We must face our fears and purposely not try to solve what will happen and what we would do if our fear came true.   For anyone attempting this, we can all agree that being uncertain is a very difficult skill to practice.    I have found that while my clients logically are on board with the idea of being uncertain, they still struggle with HOW to be uncertain.  Cognitively, we know the importance of uncertainty, but the actual practice of it might not be something that we are fully on board for.  Nearly every day, a client or a follower on social media (Instagram, Facebook, Twitter) will ask me HOW to be uncertain.  They might say, “Kimberley, I get that I have to lean into the uncertainty, but HOW do I actually be uncertain?” In today’s podcast episode, we talk all about how to be uncertain a

100th Episode Virtual Party! Welcome to another episode of Your Anxiety Toolkit Podcast.  This episode is a very special one for us.  We are celebrating out 100th Episode and we are having a VIRTUAL PARTY! At this party, we want you to celebrate this wonderful community of brave and courageous people who stand by each other as we go through hard things and we do hard things. For this virtual party, we invited some of our favorite guests and asked them to share some wisdom, a funny story or dance the night away with us.  First up, we have Ethan Smith who was on Ep. 53 (How Advocacy “Keeps Me Well”: Interview with Ethan Smith OCD Advocate) and he starts the evening off in the most glamorous way.  Sheva Rajaee who was Ep 45 (FIVE Roadblocks to Anxiety Recovery (w/ Sheva Rajaee) shares a wonderful story about Octopi and how adaptable they (and we) are.   Chris Tronsdon who was on Ep 97 (The Emotional Stages of Recovery – Rebuilding Life After OCD with Chris Tronsdon) shared a wonderful and inspiri

Jeremy Quinlan Talks About Panic Disorder and Choosing to Embrace Panic Welcome back to another episode of Your Anxiety Toolkit Podcast.  Today we have a very special guest.  For me, this is THE most special guest, because this week I had the honor of interviewing my husband about Making the Choice to Embrace Panic. In this episode, Jeremy tells the story of his Panic Disorder, how panic took so much from him and how he made the choice to embrace panic, instead of run from it.   I have wanted to record this episode for the longest time, but life, work, family and business always got in the way.  But, on a beautiful spring day, we both sat down while the kids were at school in our lounge room and recorded his story.   Together, we talked about the fear of flying and how this caused him to exit off many flights in a state of panic.  We also talk about his fear of driving on the highway, fear of getting on elevators, fear of getting on a train or a trolley or a taxi cab, etc.  We also got very deep

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

Chris Trondsen Talks Rebuilding Life After OCD 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 survi

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 Obs

Welcome back to another episode of Your Anxiety Toolkit Podcast. Today we have someone who is very dear to my heart: Catherine DeMonte. Over a year ago, I had the privilege of joining a women’s group called an Abundance Group, run by Marriage and Family Therapist, Catherine DeMonte. Catherine was so inspiring to me and gave me some of the tools I needed to get me inspired and motivated to create CBTschool.com. That’s right you guys! Catherine was one of the people who stood next to me as I cultivated the seed of CBTschool.com.  For that, I am forever grateful. In Catherine DeMonte’s abundant circles, I learned how to lead with love, not fear. While this was a concept I already knew, Catherine helped me to put this into play as I created CBTschool.com and created a life that lined up with my values.  Catherine has such a beautiful heart and a beautiful way of speaking in a compassionate and gentle way. In this interview, she delivers tools that will help you tap into the wonderful beauty of your heart

Life after OCD with Shawnté Johnson Welcome back to another episode of Your Anxiety Toolkit Podcast! Today, we talk about life after OCD. So often, my clients in my private practice have questions about what recovery for anxiety and Obsessive Compulsive Disorder looks like.  Clients and social media followers are often asking me what “recovery” means and how can they get there.  Understanding recovery is a crucial part of taking those first steps towards fear.   Today, I am thrilled to share with you Shawnté Johnson, an OCD advocate and blogger who not only talks the talk on recovery but walks the walk too.  Shawnté Johnson has a blog called Life After OCD and she talks so beautifully not just about life after her recovery from OCD and Anxiety, but also life before and during treatment.   In this week’s episode, Shawnté talks about how “doing hard things” is worth it and how she learned to embrace facing her fears and took on an approach where she commits to facing her fears every day.  Shawnté s

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 the author of the amazing book for Panic Disorder, called Don’t Panic, and the co-author of wonderful books such as Anxious Kids, Anxious Parents, Stop Obsessing! and Playing with Anxiety. 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

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 m

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 giv

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 w

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 anx

The Flow of Recovery In today’s episode of Your Anxiety Toolkit, we are talking all about Recovery.  Yes, we know! This can be a controversial conversation, especially when talking about recovery for Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD), Eating Disorders, Anxiety Disorders and Body Focused Repetitive Behaviors (BFRB’s).   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 M

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

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.  Th

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 inf

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 an

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 Depr

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 wou