The Anxiety Break

04/21/2026

Most people think their child has to be in therapy to see change. SPACE changes that.

SPACE is a parent-based model that helps you shift the patterns maintaining anxiety and OCD—without making your child do treatment.

Changes starts with how we respond.

1 spot left in my next group.

04/15/2026

If trauma therapy hasn’t worked, it may not be the therapy.

OCD can run in the background and block the process entirely.

Shame becomes proof.
Dissociation becomes an escape.
Self-punishment becomes the ritual.

And the work never reaches the part that needs to be processed.

Full piece here:
https://theanxietybreak.com/blog

04/15/2026

Next time you put something off, pause and ask:

What is delaying this actually doing for me right now?

💙
Michelle

04/15/2026

A recent blog I published on https://theanxietybreak.com/blog Click to read more if it sounds of interest, and you want to see a super cute puppy ☺️

04/12/2026

03/31/2026

If your child’s anxiety is starting to run your household…
you’re not alone.

Most parents I work with are doing everything they can to help
reassuring, accommodating, keeping things calm.

And it makes sense.

But over time, those patterns can actually strengthen anxiety
and make it harder for your child to build confidence and independence.

There is a different way to respond.

I’m offering a 6-week parent workshop using the SPACE model
for anxiety, OCD, and avoidance.

This is for parents who are ready to:
• reduce accommodation
• respond in a more effective, supportive way
• and start shifting the pattern at home

You don’t need your child to be on board to begin.

Workshop details:
Tuesdays, 6:30–7:30 PM (Zoom)
May 5 – June 9
Limited to 6–8 families

The current rate is $500 and will increase to $600 on 4/1.

If this sounds like a fit, you can learn more or register here:
www.theanxietybreak.com/space

03/15/2026

I just posted a new blog today. Check it out and let me know your thoughts.

Intrusive thoughts in OCD can make people question their identity, character, and sense of self. Instead of fearing what might happen, the mind fears what the thoughts mean. Learn why OCD can feel like an attack on identity and how ERP therapy helps break the cycle of rumination, avoidance, and reas

01/31/2026

We often have more than one identity, and they form for a reason.

Roles aren’t the same as identity. They’re often how identity shows up under pressure.

A useful question isn’t “Who am I?”
It’s “What is this identity protecting me from?”

Curiosity builds flexibility. Certainty builds armor.

01/31/2026

Anger makes sense right now. Harm is real.

But shaming and dehumanizing our neighbors has never created change.

Systems cause harm. Fear hardens identity. And when we turn on each other instead of holding systems accountable, power wins.

I know this is an unpopular thing to say right now. What we know about how identities form under threat tells us this: moralization doesn’t heal wounds. It deepens them.

The question isn’t whether we’re angry. It’s whether we can hold our anger without losing our humanity.

Can you resist the urge to moralize? What does it feel like in your body when you do?

01/31/2026

We’re not judging beliefs as right or wrong.
We’re asking what the behavior is doing for the person.

Possible functions:

A. Regulating shame
Turning a painful internal experience into action can reduce the intensity of shame and make it feel more manageable.

B. Repairing moral injury
Public alignment with a moral cause can help restore a sense of goodness or coherence after a decision that still feels morally unresolved.

C. Protecting a moral identity
Strong identification with a moral framework can stabilize the sense of “who I am” when that identity feels threatened.

D. Restoring certainty
Clear rules and firm positions reduce ambiguity and quiet ongoing doubt.

More than one function can operate at the same time.
Understanding function isn’t endorsement. It’s context.

01/29/2026

Raise your hand ✋if you’ve ever fawned your way through this.

Sometimes what looks like “talking through anxiety” is actually ruminating out loud. It’s a thinking loop that sounds emotional, but often functions to avoid sitting with uncertainty or feeling what’s underneath.

So when someone is spiraling verbally and the response jumps straight to body awareness, it can feel confusing. Not because body-based work is wrong, but because it can be a tool mismatch in that moment.

Different problems need different responses.
If the engine is rumination, the work is helping someone step out of the loop, not asking them to locate a feeling that isn’t leading the process.

Timing matters.

01/28/2026

Moralizing isn’t just about values.
Functionally, it’s often about identity regulation.

Scenario: Feeling a strong urge to call people out, draw hard lines, or label behavior as immoral.

What’s the function of moralizing here?

A. Regulating anger
B. Restoring certainty
C. Protecting a moral identity
D. Reducing helplessness

We’re not judging the behavior as good or bad.
We’re naming the function it serves.

Comment A–D (or more than one).