OCD Family Podcast

S4E156: New Year, Same Fear: Handling OCD in 2026

Host: Nicole Morris, LMFT
Date: February 21, 2026

Episode Overview

This episode marks Nicole Morris’s return after a spontaneous break, diving deep into the ongoing challenges of living with OCD—both personally and in family life. Nicole highlights the relentless nature of OCD, especially during times of transition like the new year, and offers hope and practical wisdom for sufferers and their support networks. The core message is about honoring your humanity, finding community, and seeking evidence-based resources—reminding listeners that recovery is possible, even if fear feels persistent.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Unplanned Absence as Response Prevention

• Timestamp: 00:29–02:54
  • Nicole opens up about her unscheduled hiatus from the podcast, framing her lack of explanation as a positive act of response prevention—a technique in OCD treatment.
  • She reflects on the pressure OCD places on perfectionism and over-explaining:

    “OCD likes to say you better explain everything. Your consistency, your reliability. It needs to be perfect... And I didn't. And I'm still here. Truth is, 2025 was a lot for me. For many of you and damn it, 2026 has been no cakewalk either.” – Nicole (00:29)

2. Global Overwhelm & Community Focus

• Timestamp: 02:54–04:00
  • Nicole discusses the persistent sense of global and personal overwhelm and the impact of immediate, constant information.
  • She makes a point to keep this podcast focused on OCD and the family experience, rather than politics or commentary, creating a safe, supportive space.

3. Permission to Pause & The Power of Silence

• Timestamp: 04:00–09:30
  • Emphasizing self-compassion, Nicole assures listeners it’s okay to unplug and not perform their pain publicly:

    "It's okay to not be okay. It's okay to speak, but it's also okay to unplug, to pause... Sometimes not posting is the boundary. Not explaining is the pause. Or for me, the response prevention..." (04:20)

  • She relates this to Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP), noting that “non-engagement can be a great support, a great tool.”

4. "New Year, Same Fear"—How OCD Endures Through Transitions

• Timestamp: 09:30–10:30
  • Nicole dispels the myth that the new year brings a clean slate:

    "OCD is not Cinderella. And it doesn't turn into a pumpkin at midnight. It doesn't just dissolve on January 1st. In fact, it may even feel louder now..." (09:37)

  • She acknowledges new beginnings can create new pressures—and that OCD will try to seize these moments.

5. Message of Hope: Recovery is Possible

• Timestamp: 10:30–11:10
  • Nicole shares her personal story: after 30 years with OCD, she is now “subclinical”—it no longer interferes with her life:

    "Relief is possible and better yet, recovery is possible. So I'm going to be listing some resources..." (10:45)

  • She encourages listeners not to give up, citing both lived experience and decades of research supporting treatments like ERP, ICBT, ACT, and medication.

6. Resources for Community & Continued Learning

• Timestamp: 10:45–11:10 & 12:20–14:34
  • Nicole highlights resources for self-study and professional development, including the OCD Training School’s course catalog and links to further information via the podcast website.
  • She invites listeners to share their own favorite resources in the community.

7. Validation & Togetherness Through Difficult Times

• Timestamp: 11:10–12:20
  • Nicole normalizes feelings of hopelessness, stress, and overwhelm, stressing the importance of shared experience and community support:

    "If you're finding yourself bogged down by OCD or OCRD...I get you. I hear you. I am you. But also know that you are not alone. You're still here. I'm still here. We are still in this together." (11:10)

8. Value-Driven Choices & Regulation

• Timestamp: 11:57–12:50
  • Drawing from Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), Nicole discusses the value of sitting with discomfort and making choices aligned with personal values:

    “We can sit with the discomfort and choose our response to it. So what is value driven for you? For me it was regulation. And for me that led to Wyatt. So thank you for hanging in there with me through the quiet.” (11:59)

9. Final Words of Encouragement

• Timestamp: 12:50–13:05
  • Nicole wraps up by reinforcing the central theme of resilience and hope:

    "New Year, same fear. But guess what, fam? We get to meet it with that same ferocity, with that same love, fierce courage and fight. Even on the days when it's quiet, we're burying it. We're doing this. And that builds hope. We are building hope. We've got this." (12:55)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On permission to unplug:

  "It's okay to not perform your pain where you're healing publicly. Sometimes not posting is the boundary... sometimes disappearing for a bit is the most regulated thing you can do." – Nicole (04:16)

• On the myth of fresh starts:

  "OCD is not Cinderella. And it doesn't turn into a pumpkin at midnight." – Nicole (09:37)

• On her own OCD journey:

  "I can truly say I'm subclinical... This shit, OCD shit, it doesn't get in the way of my functioning. It doesn't keep me up at night, it no longer calls the shots because at one point, family, it did." – Nicole (10:55)

• On community and resilience:

  "We can bear this. We can and we are. Even if we feel restless and discomfort and distress, we are bearing it. We don't have to like it. We can grieve it. We can share if we need to. But we can also just sit in the silence. Rest, unplug." – Nicole (11:16)

Important Timestamps

• 00:29–02:54 — Nicole’s return and framing her break as response prevention.
• 04:00–09:30 — Self-compassion, the right to pause, and ERP insights.
• 09:30–10:30 — "New Year, Same Fear": OCD’s persistence.
• 10:45–11:10 — Encouragement and research-backed recovery resources.
• 11:10–12:20 — Normalizing struggle, importance of community.
• 12:55–13:05 — Uplifting closing: “We are building hope.”

Resources Mentioned

• International OCD Foundation (IOCDF)
• ICPT Online (for treatment info and providers)
• OCD Training School (courses for both sufferers and professionals)
• Further free resources, podcasts, and online communities listed at: ocdfamilypodcast.com

Closing Summary

Nicole Morris delivers a heartfelt, honest check-in, breaking the stigma around needing breaks, emphasizing the never-ending (but manageable) nature of OCD, and providing practical resources and hope for listeners. The episode is a testament to the power of response prevention, community support, and resilience, reminding everyone in the "OCD family" that silence, rest, and stepping back are not failures—but vital acts of self-care and recovery.