“Having OCD is like living in North Korea (Here’s how I escaped)” by Declan Molony

[Author's note: this post is the narrative version that explains my journey with OCD and how I treated it. The short version provides quick, actionable advice for treating OCD.] The following is the most painful experience I've ever had. Four years ago in the parking lot of my rock climbing gym… …my heart was pumping out of my chest, I was sweating profusely, and an overwhelming sense of panic and impending doom had a vice grip on my soul. A painful death was surely imminent. I felt like I was defusing a bomb that was on the verge of exploding. In reality, I was standing outside of my car after locking it with only one *beep* of my key fob, instead of my normal 5-6 *beeps* I usually do. The reason I undertook this (basically suicidal) task was because it was getting annoying how many more *beeps* it was taking for my car to feel locked. It used to be only 2-3 *beeps* a few years ago. Now it was 5-6. In a few more years, it might take as many as 10-20 *beeps*. One time on a hike with friends, a sense of panic overcame me. [...] ---Outline:(00:24) The following is the most painful experience Ive ever had.(07:34) OCD(12:28) Deconstructing OCD into its two parts(12:49) (1) Severe Anxiety(15:53) (2) Disordered Thoughts(18:06) My dating life(23:34) So what caused me to finally get help with my OCD?(26:22) Solutions(28:39) Panic Meditation(41:31) Three mini-examples of my improvement(41:35) A) Panic at the grocery store (and no, sadly, not Panic! At The Disco)(42:30) B) Moral OCD at the gym(43:49) C) Disordered thoughts while on a date(50:35) Where Im at today(58:41) Further resources --- First published: April 18th, 2026 Source: https://www.lesswrong.com/posts/fgDqnwQj3AP9mKRRG/having-ocd-is-like-living-in-north-korea-here-s-how-i --- Narrated by TYPE III AUDIO. ---Images from the article:Apple Podcasts and Spotify do not show images in the episode description. Try Pocket Casts, or another podcast app.