– Carolyn Moriarty, LCPC The title of this blog will not make sense to everyone, so let me explain. The phrase “going on a stupid walk for my stupid mental health” went viral a few years ago thanks to this TikTok video made by creator @ninalaevski. The video in question shows a girl bundling up, charging out the door … Read More
– Carolyn Moriarty, LCPC The human mind is always active. We have approximately seventy thousand unique thoughts every single day. This probably comes as no surprise to the overthinkers out there who may be asking themselves “do I have that many thoughts per day? Does this thought count? Am I going over my ‘normal person thought quota’ by thinking about … Read More
– Carolyn Moriarty, LCPC Relationship OCD (ROCD) is among the many subtypes of Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD). Before looking more closely at this particular subtype, let’s do a quick review of OCD. Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD) is characterized by the presence of disturbing thoughts or images (obsessions) that are intrusive and unwanted. The nature of these obsessions are distressing … Read More
– Carolyn Moriarty, LCPC National Eating Disorder Awareness week (NEDAW) is observed each year during the last week in February. During my time in high school, this “awareness” typically looked like some well-intentioned student organization plastering triggering images of “textbook anorexic” models in the girls’ bathroom. Although perspectives on eating-disorders have become more progressive, there is still … Read More
– Carolyn Moriarty, LCPC “I’m so OCD!” “That’s just my OCD!” These phrases probably sound familiar—people often mistakenly assume they are describing behaviors they believe are synonymous with being a “perfectionist” or a “germaphobe”. For example, you might hear somebody say, “I’m OCD about dishes…I can’t sleep until they are all washed and put away.” These remarks usually come … Read More
by Carolyn Moriarty, LCPC Many people wonder if the amount of stress they are experiencing is “normal”. They look to the person next to them and think “hmm, that guy looks pretty happy…am I happy enough? Should I be more worried about the fact that I’m not as happy as that guy?” Before they know it, they begin to … Read More
Sexual Orientation OCD (SO-OCD) Sexual Orientation Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (SO-OCD) is a sub-type of obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). When OCD is mentioned, most people think of excessive hand-washing due to fear of germs and counting prior to completing an action to prevent a dreadful situation (usually irrational). However, OCD does not discriminate; it latches onto anything the individual values. Women are slightly … Read More
Down and Out When we find ourselves in low mood states, when we’re stressed, tired, and hopeless, it can be extra brutal to encounter thoughts kicking us when we are down. Blaming us. Angry and hurt potentially that we are in this position to begin with. In certain situations, a compassionate friend might just be what is needed to support … Read More
How often is it actually helpful for someone to advise you to accept a certain set of circumstances when you are still attempting to grasp what is happening? It can be very off putting, frustrating as well as invalidating. You have to let it go! Just accept and move on! Throughout my years as a therapist, when even broaching the topic of … Read More
Have you ever wondered, ‘what would I do if I were to ever be in a terrifying situation? Would I fight the threat, flee, or shut down?’ If you’ve ever gathered around your friends to theorize about this, or even watched the show “What Would YOU Do?”, it’s easy to say, “Well I would do XYZ and definitely not … Read More
