OCD Recovery Podcast

Host: Ali Greymond
Episode Title: 🫶🏼 Don't Let Yourself Ruminate About OCD Mistakes
Release Date: January 30, 2026

Episode Overview

In this episode, Ali Greymond addresses a common struggle for those on the path to OCD recovery: the tendency to mentally replay and ruminate over past OCD-related "mistakes." Drawing from her extensive personal and professional experience, Ali provides clear, compassionate advice for breaking the cycle of self-blame, emphasizing the importance of moving forward and focusing on improvement rather than self-criticism. The message is concise, practical, and motivating—encouraging listeners to treat setbacks as opportunities for growth.

Key Discussion Points and Insights

1. The Nature of OCD Mistakes

• Rumination is Unhelpful: Ali quickly gets to the heart of the issue: when you make a mistake—such as reacting strongly to an OCD trigger—it is vital not to dwell on it.
  • “Don't ruminate about OCD mistakes. If an OCD mistake happened and you reacted a lot, okay, mistake happened, you reacted a lot. Dust yourself off and move forward.” [00:00]
• Acceptance Over Perfection: OCD involves making mistakes. The focus should not be on trying to achieve perfect responses, but on cumulative progress over time.

2. Self-Compassion and Forward Movement

• Learning, Not Judging: Each "slip" is an opportunity to learn about triggers and reactions. The mindset should be one of curiosity and growth.
  • “We will do better next time. We will react better next time. We learned, we regroup. We will react better. That's how you need to approach it.” [00:09]
• Let Go Quickly: Rather than analyzing the mistake or getting stuck in guilt, Ali urges listeners to acknowledge it, let it go, and focus energies on the next challenge.

3. Practical OCD Recovery Tactics

• Stop the Cycle: The act of ruminating on perceived "mistakes" keeps OCD alive. Interrupting that mental habit speeds up long-term recovery.
• Exposure Work Context: Although the episode is brief, Ali’s advice fits into core exposure and response prevention (ERP) principles—accept mistakes as part of ERP and do not sabotage your progress through self-punishment.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Breaking the Rumination Cycle:
  “Don't ruminate about OCD mistakes. If an OCD mistake happened and you reacted a lot, okay, mistake happened, you reacted a lot. Dust yourself off and move forward.”
  — Ali Greymond [00:00]

• On Growth After Setbacks:
  “We will do better next time. We will react better next time. We learned, we regroup. We will react better. That's how you need to approach it.”
  — Ali Greymond [00:09]

Important Segment Timestamps

| Timestamp | Segment | Content Highlight | |-----------|----------------------------------|--------------------------------------------------------------| | 00:00 | Main Advice | Don’t ruminate over slips—accept and move forward | | 00:09 | Building Recovery Resilience | Commitment to “do better next time” and regroup after mistakes|

Key Takeaways

• Mistakes in recovery are normal.
• Rumination over mistakes is itself a compulsion—let it go and move forward.
• Every mistake is a chance to learn and improve your response next time.
• Adopt a self-compassionate, resilient mindset for lasting recovery.

Tone

Ali’s tone in this episode is direct, reassuring, and practical, providing succinct yet empowering advice for anyone dealing with the guilt and rumination that often comes with OCD recovery setbacks.

For more in-depth help, emergency sessions are available via the link in the episode description.