Podcast Summary: OCD Recovery

Episode Title: Play This When You Wake Up In The Morning
Host: Ali Greymond
Date: December 9, 2025

Overview

In this episode, Ali Greymond provides a motivational, actionable guide specifically designed to be played upon waking up for individuals dealing with obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). The episode focuses on setting a strong, refusal-based mindset at the start of the day, emphasizing practical steps to stop engaging with OCD thoughts and compulsions. Greymond draws from her personal experience and clinical expertise, offering support and reinforcing the value of consistent exposure and response prevention (ERP) work, especially in the challenging moments when anxiety is highest.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. The Challenge of Mornings with OCD

• Morning Vulnerability:
  • Ali acknowledges that anxiety and OCD intrusive thoughts are often at their peak upon waking:

    “So right now it’s morning. You woke up, the anxiety is really high. OCD thoughts are coming in. And you know, you’ve experienced this before.” (00:07)

  • She recognizes the repetitive, deceiving nature of OCD, noting the familiar struggle.

2. Making a Conscious Refusal

• Choosing Not to Engage:
  • The main action Greymond advocates is an internal refusal to participate in OCD’s cycle:

    “You refuse to buy into it, you refuse to take it seriously... For everybody, OCD feels very real. It’s a lie, it’s a trick.” (00:15)

• Practical Response—Get Moving:
  • Ali encourages listeners to physically get up and start their day, even if the discomfort remains:

    “Right now, you have to get up and start doing things. You won’t feel good when you’re doing things. OCD will always want to pull you back in, but you have to stay on task.” (00:27)

3. The Role of Structure and Lists

• Utilizing Simple Planning:
  • She shares her personal recovery strategy of using a minimal, structured to-do list:

    “When I was going through recovery, it helped me to make a list, very simplistic list, so you can have point by point of what you’re doing next.” (00:48)

  • The list is a tool to direct attention away from rumination and keep moving forward through the day.

4. Mental Separation from OCD

• Metaphorical Technique:
  • Ali recommends imagining OCD as “speaking a different language”—one you don’t understand:

    “Pretend like OCD is talking to you in a different language. You don’t understand what OCD is saying...You’re refusing to take it seriously. You are refusing to pay attention.” (01:08)

  • This technique creates psychological distance from the intrusive thoughts.

5. Faking Functionality and Sending Positive Signals to the Mind

• Behavioral ‘Faking It’:
  • She stresses the significance of faking calmness and control, reinforcing normalcy even if inner turmoil persists:

    “...give an overall impression to your mind that I am put together, my house is put together. I have tasks to do and I’m doing them...even though you’re faking it, even though you might be screaming on the inside.” (01:33)

• Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP):
  • Ali unpacks how this practice is, in essence, ERP: Exposing oneself to intrusive thoughts and practicing response prevention by not engaging in rumination:

    “This is erp, because this is exposure to the thoughts and response prevention, meaning you’re not responding, you’re not ruminating.” (01:53)

6. The Importance of the Morning Mindset

• Critical Window:
  • She highlights the significance of setting the tone for the day by resisting morning rumination:

    “Morning is a critical time because if you set yourself up with rumination, you kind of set yourself up badly for the entire day.” (02:16)

7. Affirmation and Support

• Personal Validation:
  • Ali reassures listeners of her empathy and their own capacity for recovery:

    “I’ve done this. I had severe OCD. I’ve done this. You can do this right now.” (02:29)

  • She emphasizes refusing to take the thoughts seriously, regardless of how many times they have appeared:

    “You’re choosing now not to fall for the same trick over and over again...I am with you. And you can do this.” (02:53)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On the Deceptive Nature of OCD:

  “For everybody, OCD feels very real. It’s a lie, it’s a trick.” — Ali Greymond (00:16)

• On Creating Distance from Intrusive Thoughts:

  “Pretend like OCD is talking to you in a different language. You don’t understand what OCD is saying...You are refusing to pay attention.” — Ali Greymond (01:08)

• On the Practice of ERP:

  “This is erp, because this is exposure to the thoughts and response prevention, meaning you’re not responding, you’re not ruminating.” — Ali Greymond (01:53)

• On the Power of Refusal:

  “You’re choosing now not to fall for the same trick over and over again and you’re choosing to refuse. And I am with you. And you can do this.” — Ali Greymond (02:53)

Timestamps for Key Segments

• 00:07 — Description of the typical OCD morning experience
• 00:27 — Importance of taking action despite anxiety
• 00:48 — Using a simple to-do list for structure and focus
• 01:08 — The “different language” metaphor for disengaging from OCD
• 01:33 — ‘Fake it till you make it’ and the impression of normalcy
• 01:53 — Clarifying how this approach aligns with ERP
• 02:16 — The pivotal influence of morning mindset
• 02:29 — Personal encouragement and solidarity

Summary Flow & Tone

Ali delivers the episode in an empathetic, practical, and gently assertive tone. She directly addresses the listener as if in their most vulnerable moment, prioritizing clear, actionable advice over theory. She normalizes the struggle, acknowledges the pain, and offers accessible, relatable motivation grounded in lived experience.

For listeners: This episode is perfect to play each morning to anchor your mindset, reinforce your refusal to engage with intrusive OCD thoughts, and remind yourself that with structure, practice, and community, recovery is not only possible but entirely doable.