Practices

Every practice in the library, in one list. Narrow it by how long you have, who it is written for, and where you are right now.

Narrowed down

6 practices
How long you have
Who it is written for
Where you are right now · Coping, mostly
On your own, or with someone
Theme · Obsessions and compulsions
Medication and how it works 104Systems for daily life 70Getting assessed and diagnosed 63Your nervous system 61What anger actually is 60Staying regulated in conflict 60Get started 48Moving your body 48Equanimity and perspective 46Choosing your response 44Bringing the future closer 43The moment before you snap 43The fear underneath anger 42Exercise, food and other supports 41Your sense of time 40Treatment and medication 39Touch and bodywork 38Feelings and focus 38Screens and attention 32When everything feels flat 32What ADHD actually is 30Growing empathy 28Grounding and settling 27Structure and routine 26The cost of avoiding 26Knowing your partner 25Food, caffeine and fuel 24Answering bids 24What worry does 23Practising under provocation 22Treatment and medication 20Emotions as signals 20What you are actually defending 20Cool the body first 20Making it stick 19Repair after rupture 19Breathing 19Being seen and judged 18Rebuilding trust 17Shared spiritual life 17Righteous anger and perfectionism 16Affection and touch 15Fondness and admiration 15Shame and stigma 14Breaking the worry loop 14Listening and understanding 13Remembering to do it 13Rituals of connection 13Feeling from the inside 12When you use something to cope 11When anger turns to harm 11Reading, numbers and learning differences 10Tolerate distress 10Gratitude 9Facing it a step at a time 9Self-compassion 8Use your strengths 8Obsessions and compulsions 6Anger, alcohol and the body 6Question the thought 5Meaning after harm 4Posture and how you carry yourself 4Safety and grounding 4Let the wave come 3Calm the body 3Act on your values 3Name what you feel 3Notice the pattern and flex 3Panic and the body 3Shame 3Working with anger 3Your worth is not conditional 3Work with your brain 2Your window of tolerance 2Validate yourself and others 2Care for yourself in loss 2Ask and say no well 2Ride the urge 2Rest and pacing 2Patience and trust 2Listen to the body 2Keep the bond 2Hold a boundary 2Help someone grieving 2Get it out of your head 2Find meaning 2Face it gently 2Living with uncertainty 1When you go numb 1
When

When the words for feelings are not there, ask for a number instead. How much did the handwashing take over this week, one to ten, is a question someone can answer on a bad day.

A number asks far less of a person than a description, which matters when putting feelings into language is hard for them, and you still end up with…

A minuteObsessions and compulsionsCBTQur’an 2:286

Agree a short phrase to use at home. Saying I am having OCD worries tells a parent what is going on without handing them the worry to solve.

Once a parent hears the details they will nearly always try to help by answering, and answering is the thing that feeds it. A label gives them…

A minuteObsessions and compulsionsCBTQur’an 23:97

You can take someone's fear entirely seriously without walking through the frightening story with them. Say you can see how frightening it feels, and leave the plot alone.

It reads colder written down than it lands in the room. What the person needs is to feel believed. What they do not need is a second person weighing…

Five minutesObsessions and compulsionsCBTQur’an 50:16

It can help to give the parts of your brain jobs. The front of your head is the manager, the memory system is the librarian, and the alarm is a security guard who is good at his work and far too keen on it.

The point is not accuracy, it is having language you can reach for quickly. Saying the guard is overreacting again gets you further than trying to…

Five minutesObsessions and compulsionsCBTQur’an 70:19

Offer choices rather than instructions. With a problem that runs on control, being told what to do gives that control somewhere to dig in.

Two or three real options, the trade-offs said plainly, and then the pick is genuinely theirs. That holds for the big decisions too, like moving to a…

Five minutesObsessions and compulsionsCBTQur’an 22:78

When obsessions start early and dig in deep, ask gently what anxiety looks like elsewhere in the family. Often there is an undiagnosed parent, and often that parent is helping in ways that keep the whole thing running.

None of this is about blame. A parent who checks the locks for their child, answers the same question fifteen times, or arranges the evening around a…

Twenty minutesObsessions and compulsionsCBTQur’an 114:6

Looking for a whole subject rather than a single practice? Start from the nine areas.