👉🏼 Let's Compare 2 Successful OCD Recovery Logs

Summary

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Episode Overview

Title: 👉🏼 Let's Compare 2 Successful OCD Recovery Logs
Host: Ali Greymond
Date: May 18, 2026

In this episode, Ali Greymond explores how real-world recovery from OCD can look different from person to person—even among those who succeed. By walking through two anonymized log screenshots from the OCD Help app, Ali illustrates that progress comes in many forms, reassures listeners about the realities of setbacks, and shares practical wisdom around tracking, resisting compulsions, and maintaining perspective on the recovery journey.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. The Value of Tracking Recovery Progress

• Ali explains the structure of the OCD Help app's daily log:

  • Tracks total minutes ruminated and active minutes ruminated.
  • Splits the day into time blocks:
    • Wake-up to 9am
    • 9am–12pm
    • 12pm–3pm
    • 3pm–6pm
    • 6pm–9pm
    • 9pm–morning
  • Also tracks levels of anxiety and overall daily stress.
    (00:04)

• Purpose:
  The act of logging serves as both a mirror for progress and a motivator—making users aware of patterns and reinforcing positive changes.

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2. Two Types of Recovery Trajectories: "Messy" vs. "Smooth"

• Recovery Example One:

  • More erratic, anxiety fluctuates ("low, then high, then low, then high").
  • Progression is “bumpy”, includes visible setbacks or tough days.
  • Nonetheless, shows steady movement in the right direction when looking at the bigger picture.
    (00:23)

• Recovery Example Two:

  • Anxiety level drops consistently over time.
  • The trajectory appears “more straightforward,” with fewer dramatic ups and downs.
  • Demonstrates that some people will experience a “smoother” recovery.
    (00:36)

• Key Insight:

  • Both types of progress are equally legitimate and both reach similar end points—a marked reduction in anxiety within 30 days.

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3. Setbacks Are Expected—and Not a Sign of Failure

• Ali normalizes setbacks:

  "You're gonna have off days where you feel like you're at square one, it's all over... No, you're not at square one. You just have to keep going." (00:41)

• Explanation:
  When resisting compulsions and ruminations, OCD often “pushes back,” intensifying feelings in an attempt to draw you into old behaviors—this is a natural part of the recovery cycle.

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4. Long-Term Trajectory Matters Most

• Visual Evidence:
  • Both logs (messy and smooth) show much lower anxiety at the end of a single month compared to when they started.
  • “One was bumpier than the other but they both got there.” (01:12)
• Reassurance:
  Small setbacks or rough days do not erase your cumulative progress.

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5. Practical Encouragement & Call to Action

• Tracking is a Recovery Tool:

  "Download the OCD Help app and start tracking." (01:19)

  • Ali encourages listeners to use structured tracking to see their own progress and manage ruminations more effectively.

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• “You're gonna have off days where you feel like you're at square one, it's all over. Because what happens is when you start resisting doing compulsions, resisting rumination, a lot of the times OCD will push harder on you to push you back into behaviors, into reaction. And you have to be aware of that. No, you're not at square one. You just have to keep going.”
  — Ali Greymond (00:41)

• “Both are okay ... you can see in both of these screenshots, their level of anxiety in the beginning is [high] and the level of anxiety at the end of the month ... is so much less. And one was bumpier than the other, but they both got there.”
  — Ali Greymond (01:12)

• “Download the OCD Help app and start tracking.”
  — Ali Greymond (01:19)

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Timestamps for Important Segments

• 00:04 – Explaining the app’s tracking features and recovery log structure
• 00:23 – Introduction to the two recovery examples: “messy” vs. “smooth” trajectories
• 00:41 – Discussion of setbacks, “square one” feeling, and OCD’s pushback
• 01:12 – Emphasizing reduction in anxiety and the value of different recovery paths
• 01:19 – Call to action: start tracking your progress

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Tone & Takeaway

Ali Greymond’s upbeat, optimistic tone reinforces that real recovery is possible—and that it’s normal for the process to be non-linear. By comparing two distinct recovery journeys, Ali helps listeners embrace their own unique path, recognize the value in both smooth and bumpy progress, and persist even when setbacks appear.

The core message: Stick with your recovery process, track your progress, and remember that setbacks are just temporary—what matters is the direction you’re moving in over time.

Transcript

[A]

Let's take a look at the recovery process using the Grayman method from the OCD Help app. What you're looking at here is an example of somebody's tracking using OCD Help app. We have the total column of minutes ruminated, active minutes ruminated. Then the next column is W to 9, wake up to 9am, 9 to 12, 12 to 3, 3 to 6, 6 to 9, and 9 to morning. We also are tracking the level of anxiety and the level of overall daily stress. What I want to show you here is two screenshots from two different people. And one is messy and there's a lot of back and forth. Anxiety is kind of low, then high, then low, then high, but still we see a trajectory. The other one is more straightforward where the anxiety drops continuously as the person is getting better. Both are okay. You're gonna have off days where you feel like you're at square one, it's all over. Because what happens is when you start resisting doing compulsions, resisting rumination, a lot of the times OCD will push harder on you to push you back into behaviors, into reaction. And you have to be aware of that. No, you're not at square one. You just have to keep going. Because you can see in both of these screenshots, their level of anxiety in the beginning is and the level of anxiety at the end of the month, literally 30 days is so much less. And one was bumpier than the other, but they both got there. Download the OCD Help app and start tracking.