Relief from Relentless Thoughts: Reclaiming My Mind from OCD

“Having a positive mental attitude is asking how something can be done rather than saying it can’t be done.” Bo Bennett“To avoid situations in which you might make mistakes may be the biggest mistake of all.” Peter McWilliams“We don’t see things as they are, we see them as we are.” Anais NinOne of the very first things I started to work on consciously with my own personal development was to improve my outlook on life.It was over 15 years ago that I started to delve into this topic and to step by step – and while sometimes tumbling backwards – build a more optimistic outlook.An attitude that would over time become more and more stable so that I could not only look at the world in a positive way during good days.But also so I could stay positive and constructive even during tough times and keep working towards something better.In this article I’d like to share 19 of the best, smartest and most effective habits for doing so that I have learned during over more than a decade.I hope you will find something helpful here to stay positive.Bonus: Download a free step-by-step checklist that will show you how to stay positive. It’s easy to save as a PDF or print out for whenever you need it during your day or weekOne of the simplest but most effective ways to build a more positive outlook has in my experience been to ask more helpful questions as often as possible.When I am in what seems like a negative situation – maybe I have been lazy, made a mistake, failed or stumbled in some kind of way – then I like to ask myself questions like:Doing so is a whole lot better than what I used to do in such situations.

“You can’t save someone who isn’t willing to participate in their own rescue.” ~Unknown

The goal each and every day of your life is to gradually grow stronger on the inside, so that less and less on the outside can affect your inner wellness without your conscious permission.Truth be told, how you cope with unexpected problems and frustrations can easily be the difference between living a good life and living an unhealthy one. If you choose unhealthy coping mechanisms like avoidance or denial, for example, you can quickly turn a tough situation into a tragic one.

Name recognition alone should not determine your child’s target college list. A strong undergraduate fit ticks boxes for academics, extracurriculars, and campus life, as well as another key attribute: neurodivergent student support.One common and alluring trap that ensnares students with ADHD selecting prospective college: applying only to highly selective schools or to the colleges on their friends’ lists.

“When we are no longer able to change a situation, we are challenged to change ourselves.” ~Viktor Frankl

Q: “The voice in my head can be my worst enemy. I tell myself I won’t be late, yet I’m always late. I tell my spouse that I’ll pick up the groceries or dry cleaning, and then I forget. I beat myself up for mistakes big and small. How can I stop this destructive thinking when I mess up?”What you’re describing are the negative self-defeating default mindsets many of us with ADHD have endured most of our lives.

Why do we find so many neurodivergent thinkers at the cutting edge of innovation? Because our brains light up when we dig deep into ideas that spark our interest. Our hyperfocus and our unique perspective and vision are traits that fuel entrepreneurship — and the freedom to explore our passions on our own terms seals the deal.Rarely, however, is launching a new venture simple.

Q: My teen struggles massively with rejection sensitive dysphoria (RSD). She has big reactions to situations that don’t always justify such a response. She doesn’t seem to realize the degree to which RSD impacts how she interprets the world. How can I help her understand and recognize RSD without further triggering her?RSD wouldn’t be RSD if it didn’t alter people’s perceptions.

$13.99The Swiftie in your household will love channeling their favorite ‘era’ and testing their Taylor Swift prowess with The Unofficial Eras Activity Book. Inside, kids will find 50 pages of word searches, coloring sheets, mazes, and more. Just cue up their favorite Taylor’s Version and watch them get to work!Buy The Unofficial Eras Activity Book (#CommissionsEarned)$24.99Squeeze, cuddle, play — there’s no wrong way to love a Squishmallow.

October 27, 2025Children with ADHD and behavioral disorders face an elevated risk for major depressive disorder (MDD) and depressive symptoms like high suicidality, whereas those with ADHD and autistic traits experience more irritability and poor sleep, according to recent research findings published in the Journal of Attention Disorders.1The study identified three distinct clusters of depressive symptoms in children with ADHD: ‘low symptoms,’ ‘irritable/poor sleep,’ and ‘high symptoms.’ Data from 696 children, aged 6 to 18, from the Study of ADHD Genes and Environment (SAGE) and latent profile analysis of 34 depression symptoms rated by caregivers in follow-up questionnaires formed the basis of the profiles.Nearly half (48.5%) of the children in the study were placed into the ‘low symptoms’ profile, meaning they presented relatively minor depressive symptoms in 26 of the 34 parent-rated questions. Members of this profile exhibited slightly elevated levels of restlessness, indecisiveness, unhappiness, poor sleep, and tiredness.

In 2016, Mark Manson released The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck, a brutally honest, thought-provoking book that redefined self-help for a new generation.It quickly became a global phenomenon, selling millions of copies and cementing Manson as one of the most influential voices in modern personal development.Since then, he’s been featured on top podcasts like The Diary of a CEO, How I Write, and The Iced Coffee Hour, sharing insights about success, psychology, and the messy art of living well.Here are 11 powerful lessons from Mark Manson that can help you thrive in the digital age.Great writing never goes out of style.Mark Manson’s success began with his blog. His sharp, relatable writing style and storytelling ability helped him build an audience long before he became a best-selling author.

Opportunities are like sunrises, if we wait too long we miss them.Too often we waste our time waiting for the ideal path to appear. But it never does of course. Because we forget that paths are made by walking, not waiting.

Love, in its purest form, is both a teacher and a mirror, revealing not only the beauty we seek in another but also the hidden dimensions within ourselves. This Spiritual Art Fiction is a journey through that sacred mirror, where affection, pain, growth, and transcendence intertwine in the dance of two evolving souls. It is […]

You can’t lift a thousand pounds all at once, yet you can easily lift one pound a thousand times. Tiny, repeated efforts will get you there.I have witnessed people reinventing themselves at all ages — 48-year-olds starting families, 57-year-olds graduating from college for the first time, 71-year-olds starting successful businesses, and more. How did they all do it? In a nutshell, they started being more mindful about making progress in their lives, step by step.

And use them yourself too to have a couple of good laughs, to not take things too seriously and to reduce those stress levels.“I like these cold, gray winter days. Days like these let you savor a bad mood.” – Bill Watterson“It snowed last year too: I made a snowman and my brother knocked it down and I knocked my brother down and then we had tea.” – Dylan Thomas“For every snowflake that falls, an idiot forgets how to drive.” – Unknown“The problem with winter sports is that – follow me closely here – they generally take place in winter.” – Dave Barry“Winter is nature’s way of saying, ‘Up yours.'” – Robert Byrne“It was so cold I almost got married.” – Shelley Winters“Winter is not a season, it’s an occupation.” – Sinclair Lewis“As winter approaches – bringing cold weather and family drama – we crave page-turners, books made for long nights and tryptophan-induced sloth.” – Sarah MacLean“It was so cold today that I saw a dog chasing a cat, and the dog was walking.” – Mickey Rivers“A lot of people like snow.

“The deeper that sorrow carves into your being, the more joy you can contain.” ~Kahlil Gibran

“I have seen and touched and danced and sang and climbed and loved and meditated on a lifetime spent living honestly. Should it all end tonight, I can positively say there would be no regrets. I feel fortunate to have walked 90 years in my shoes. I am truly lucky. I really have lived 1,000 times over.”Those are the opening lines of the final entry in my grandma Zelda’s journal—a 270-page leather-bound journal she wrote small entries in almost every morning during the final decade of her life.

“Menopause is a journey where you rediscover yourself and become the woman you were always meant to be.” ~Dr. Christiane Northrup

“What day is it?” asked Pooh. “It’s today,” squeaked Piglet. “My favorite day,” said Pooh.When you first awake, be mindful and take a second to think about what a privilege it is to be alive and relatively healthy. Breathe onto the bathroom mirror just to see how amazing your breath looks. The moment you start acting like life is a blessing, I assure you it will start to feel like one.If you’d like to practice starting your days more mindfully in the weeks ahead, below you will find 52 morning quotes.

Winter can be a tough one. And the longer it goes on the heavier it can feel.With the short and cold days.

By Charles Barnard, founder of Success Institutes. Noah sat on the edge of his bed, his heart pounding. His mom had just asked a simple question: “How was your day?” But it was like a switch had flipped. He felt the heat rise in his chest, and before he knew it, he snapped: “Why do you always […]

Every great achiever has one thing in common: discipline. Behind the novels, inventions, discoveries, and masterpieces are small, consistent habits repeated daily.From Benjamin Franklin to Maya Angelou, and from Charles Darwin to Stephen King, history’s most successful people lived by structured routines that fuelled their creativity, clarity, and productivity.Daily rituals aren’t just habits. They’re systems that transform ordinary individuals into extraordinary ones.Success is not about luck.