excerpt from Stopping the Pain by Lawrence E. Shapiro Ph.D.

Most people who self-injure keep their behavior secret. They might feel that they are the only ones in the world who act this way. Even people who are seeing counselors may be ashamed to admit that they hurt themselves.

In the last few years, more people have talking about self-injury, and it has become less secret. Many books have been written about self-injury. There are also many websites and blogs, although it is important for you to be aware that not everything you read on the Internet is in your best interest.

The more people talk about self-injury, the more we can understand how to help people with this problem. Separating myths from facts is always a step in the right direction.

excerpt from The Stress Reduction Workbook for Teens by Gina M. Biegel MA, LMFT

There are two types of mindfulness practice: formal and informal. In formal practice, you actually set aside an amount of time and dedicate it to being mindful. Informal practice doesn’t require any extra time; the idea is to bring moment-to-moment awareness to everything you already do, to zero in on what you are doing as you are actually doing it.

People often do things without being fully present, as if they were on automatic pilot. Living this way, they cheat themselves out of many moments in their lives. Trying to bring conscious awareness to your body and mind while remaining aware of the task you are engaging in will allow you to experience life more fully. Paying attention to your five senses (sight, sound, touch, taste, and smell) in your daily tasks can help you be aware in the present moment.

excerpt from Free from OCD by Timothy A. Sisemore Ph.D.

Jamaal doesn’t really appreciate his new nickname, Mr. Perfect. Though he has really tried not to, he still has to keep every paper straight in his organizer and catches himself straightening up his friends’ papers. He used to feel good about himself and thought he was pretty popular and cool. But now that his stuck thoughts and rituals have gotten worse, he doesn’t go out with friends much because he just doesn’t want to hear the teasing. He has to go to school but wouldn’t if he didn’t have to. Though his friends say they’re just teasing, Jamaal doesn’t find it very funny. Having OCD is a pain.

for you to know

As if it isn’t bad enough to wrestle with stuck thoughts and rituals, for many teens these symptoms can have a big impact on many areas of their lives—particularly in friendships and self-confidence. In some ways these “side effects” can be worse than the stuck thoughts and rituals themselves.

for you to do

Get a piece of paper and answer the following questions:

excerpt from The OCD Workbook by Bruce M. Hyman, Ph.D., and Cherlene Pedrick RN

We’d like to introduce you to people with Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD) so you can see how these symptoms affect people in their daily lives. Except for Cherry, these people are composites of many people with OCD. You may observe similarities between yourself and one or more of the people described, but this is only coincidental.

• Cherry’s Story: "What If? " — An Unwanted Companion
• Mary’s Story
• Melody’s Story
• Robert’s Story
• Ben’s Story
• Jack’s Story
• Mark’s Story
• Liz’s Story
• Angelita’s Story
• Ron’s Story

excerpt from The Whole-Food Guide to Overcoming Irritable Bowel Syndrome by Laura J. Knoff NC

The Eating4Health model is a regenerative food system to help you organize and plan meals and menus. Created by Edward Bauman, Ph.D., and used extensively by holistic nutrition consultants, the model shows a plateful of possibilities for healthy food and beverage choices (Bauman 2008). It emphasizes seasonal, organic, unrefined, and local foods (what I call SOUL foods). If you have digestive problems or Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS), emphasize leafy and crunchy vegetables; good-quality whole-food proteins with their naturally accompanying fats; booster foods that speed up metabolism, such as spices and seaweed; and natural beverages. You may need to limit or eliminate some unrefined starches and fruits to avoid IBS symptoms. This model serves as a guide to choosing a wide variety of whole foods.

excerpt from The Healthy Gut Workbook by Victor S. Sierpina, MD

These SuperFoods and their sidekicks will make your eating choices even more varied, enjoyable, and healthy. Include these in your diet plan for snacks and as part of your meals, and you’ll feel better in the short term and in the long run.

excerpt from Present Perfect by Pavel Somov, Ph.D.

Acceptance isn’t passivity or surrender. It’s an active engagement in reality, in real time, on its terms. As such, acceptance is realism and requires existential courage rather than an escapist flight into what theoretically could be. Accepting reality as it is now means just that: accepting the reality as it is right now. If you don’t like the way reality is right now, change the future. You see, acceptance isn’t approval, it’s just an acknowledgment of what is (more about this below). If you don’t acknowledge what is, what will you be improving?

excerpt from The Mindfulness Workbook by Thomas Roberts LCSW, LMFT

With this practice you’ll practice greeting each thought, emotion, and sensation. You’ll watch it, name each with a single word, and then let it go. Some people have told me they find it useful to visualize writing each name on a balloon and then releasing it, or to visualize writing the name on a leaf and letting it float away down a stream. These are just a few ideas. Feel free to come up with your own. Whatever imagery you use, this practice is an effective means of clearing away some of the clutter from the insistent chatter of big deal mind, allowing you to experience more spaciousness.