Mom: “I hate you as a blonde.”

It's amazing how the mind decides to handle stress and trauma. Sometimes it's comforting. Sometimes it's exhausting!

Sometimes the anxiety is a result of the OCD. It could all be related. I finally found a doctor that helped me realize that I didn’t have a panic disorder. The compulsions are just ways you have adapted to dealing with anxiety and calming yourself. The obsessions definitely can interfere with concentration. It’s just…

Having those rituals as a reaction to or as a prevention of an unpleasant thought is OCD. I started with avoiding clothing that I had worn during a traumatic experience. Eventually if I accidentally touched a “banished” shirt I would feel enormous guilt and worry.

I’ve noticed that The Disney Channel is referring to it as “the day you are home from school” in their ads. My son’s elementary school calendar makes no reference to the holiday. Just conference day. I'm in Alabama by the way.