Podcast Summary: OCD Recovery Tracking - This Will Surprise You

Podcast: OCD Recovery
Host: Ali Greymond
Episode Date: September 29, 2025

Overview

In this episode, Ali Greymond discusses the essential role of tracking rumination in the OCD recovery process. Drawing on her Greymond Method and features from the OCD Help app, Ali emphasizes how increased self-awareness—gained through tracking—can reveal patterns and ultimately aid in reducing obsessive rumination. The episode is aimed at listeners seeking practical, daily strategies to overcome OCD by making the invisible habit of rumination visible and actionable.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

The Importance of Tracking Rumination

• Rumination Awareness:
  Ali begins by highlighting that many people are unaware of how much time they actually spend ruminating until they start tracking it.

  “One common thing I hear from clients is they're shocked by how much they are actually ruminating. When they start to track, they start to realize, oh my God, I've been ruminating actually all day.” (01:04)

• Tracking Mechanism:
  The app tracks rumination across different daily periods:

  • Total daily minutes
  • Wake-up to 9 am
  • 9 am to 12 pm
  • 12 pm to 3 pm
  • 3 pm to 9 pm
  • 9 pm to morning
    Users record rough estimates of how many minutes are spent on active rumination in each segment.

• Types of Rumination:
  Ali clarifies that all kinds of rumination count—those about OCD themes, recovery, app tracking, and even day-to-day worries.

  “We're counting all kinds of rumination, right? The relation about the theme, the recovery, maybe the tracking itself. ... When you add it all up together, it's actually a lot of rumination.” (01:20)

Linking Anxiety, Stress, and Rumination

• Cause and Effect:
  High anxiety is a predictable result of hours spent ruminating, so the numbers make logical sense.

  “Of course your anxiety is going to be very high because how much you are letting yourself ruminate, but what you notice is what you fix.” (01:43)

• Separate Tracking for Stress:
  The app lets users differentiate between OCD anxiety and general life stress, recognizing that overall stress can exacerbate OCD symptoms.

Shifting Mindset: Approximating, Not Perfecting

• Avoiding Perfectionism:
  Ali stresses that precise time-tracking is unnecessary. What matters is “good enough” estimates, not perfection, which itself can become another OCD compulsion.

  “This is approximate, you don't need to track super precise. … Don't get caught up in perfectionism. This is not what we're doing here. It's rough estimate.” (00:34, 01:08)

• Stepwise Progress:
  People should aim to gradually reduce their ruminating minutes in each time block—not eliminate everything at once.

  “Let's say I was ruminating for an hour, okay, I'm going to try to do a little bit less and then I'm going to knock it down and knock it down and knock it down. And little by little you will get to zero.” (01:13)

• Hope and Motivation:
  Ali reassures listeners that complete recovery is possible—others have succeeded, and so can they with focused effort.

  “Look at this example. They got to zero. You think you're somehow different. … Of course you can do it. But it's preciseness, attention to detail and focus. That's what's going to get you there.” (01:25)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• “What you notice is what you fix. So the tracking gives you awareness where now you're like, okay, I'm ruminating here, here and here.”
  — Ali Greymond [01:43]

• “Don't get caught up in perfectionism. This is not what we're doing here.”
  — Ali Greymond [01:08]

• “You think you're somehow different. … Of course you can do it.”
  — Ali Greymond [01:25]

Timestamps for Important Segments

| Timestamp | Segment Description | |-----------|---------------------------------------------| | 00:00 | Introduction to tracking with the Greymond Method | | 00:34 | Explanation: What to track and how to estimate minutes| | 01:04 | Realization: Clients shocked by total rumination | | 01:20 | Different kinds of rumination counted | | 01:43 | The logical link between rumination and anxiety | | 01:08 | Emphasis on rough estimates, avoiding perfectionism | | 01:13 | Stepwise reduction of rumination | | 01:25 | Motivation: “You can do it too” |

Summary & Action Steps

Ali Greymond urges listeners to start tracking their rumination using rough estimates, noting the initial surprise many feel at their total time spent ruminating. She explains that this awareness is the first step to recovery. By focusing on approximate, not perfect, numbers and aiming for gradual improvements, individuals can slowly but surely reduce both their obsessive thoughts and related anxiety. Ali’s message is infused with hope and a reminder that if others have reached zero minutes of rumination, so can you—with consistent tracking, attention, and commitment.

For more guidance, download the OCD Help app and begin your own daily tracking and reduction journey.