Reasons I need to quit raising awareness of childhood OCD.

When I started posting about childhood OCD back in 2020, I had no idea of the effect it would have on my life.

Or, more importantly on my children's lives.

Back then, both of my daughters were still in school, and to be honest, I think they thought that publishing my books about childhood OCD would be a flash in the pan.

As for me, I had no idea how well-received my books would be.

Or of how much interest my posts would attract.

>> My newsletter has this week hit over 1100 followers.

>> I currently have almost 3.5k followers on LinkedIn.

>> And my TikTok videos are exceeding all expectations, with one video hitting over 33k views.

You're probably thinking, "So, what's the problem? This is good news, right?"

Yes and no is the answer.

Yes, in that it achieves what I set out to do: raise awareness of childhood OCD.

But for my daughters, who want to move on from our OCD ordeal, it's not so great.

They feel I am stopping them from moving on with their lives.

The real turning point came on a recent trip to the hairdressers.

Their hairdresser unexpectedly commented that she had seen some of my videos.

Which led to them going into a state of panic.

And feeling very exposed and uncomfortable.

Even the one who doesn't have OCD.

This led to me deciding that I now need to reduce the amount I post about OCD.

And to focus my efforts back on affiliate marketing instead.

That way not only will I reduce tension in the family.

But I will hopefully be able to create some much-needed additional income in the process, too.

On the plus side, many of the affiliate products I promote help manage childhood anxiety.

They just don't focus solely on OCD.

With that said, childhood OCD and raising awareness of it will always be close to my heart.

I still have so many ideas buzzing around in my head, including ideas for films.

But for now, while my daughters study and pursue their desired careers, it's time to pause and reflect.

Meanwhile, if you are struggling to support a child with OCD, my top tips would be:

Recognise symptoms

If your child is doing something over and over which is affecting leading an everyday life, seek professional help straight away.

Be on the lookout for potential triggers

Things like:

The death of someone close.

A traumatic event.

Learnt behaviour.

Challenge it

Do something small every day to challenge OCD. Things like:

Delaying a compulsion.

Reducing compulsions.

Changing the hierarchy of a compulsion.

If you need help supporting a child with OCD, I still offer free and paid resources to help you.

The details can be found in the featured section of my bio.

#ocdawareness #ocdrecovery #parentingstruggles