Luke Combs Goes Into Great Detail Explaining How Debilitating His OCD Thoughts Can Be: “Like Seeing A Grizzly Bear Come Out Of The Woods In Your Mind”

Getting very personal.

Luke Combs was recently a guest on Dax Shepard’s Armchair Expert podcast, where he discussed getting his start in Nashville, his legendary GRAMMY performance with Tracy Chapman, and some of his more personal mental health struggles.

Combs has been pretty open for years now about his lifelong battle with anxiety and obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), and he noted in an AXS interview that he remembers first struggling with it in middle school and had difficulty getting a grip on it until college.

He has a form called Pure OCD, and while he knows how to manage it better than he did when he was younger, he explained in great detail what it’s like and how it can take over someone’s thoughts completely and it can be pretty debilitating.

While many of us probably think of OCD as a habit someone has to fix the tilt of a picture frame or make sure everything is in line and perfect, that’s not what it really looks like in reality for a lot of people, and Luke explained just how tough that can be:

“There’s people that are like, ‘Am I gay? Am I a pedophile? Am I a serial killer?’ Driving down the road, am I gonna just swerve into this traffic? It’s like, you’re not ever going to do that, but your brain… it’s like seeing a grizzly bear come out of the woods in your mind. The threat is not real, but it’s like, it was real because I thought it for a second. It’s that.

People have those kind of thoughts all the time and they’re like, obviously, it’s like a bird flying by. You go, ‘Oh there’s a bird. It’s all good.’ And then you’re like, ‘What was that bird? What was that? Why did that bird fly by?’ And then, the more you wonder why the bird flew by, the more it’s gonna fly by. Your brain is like, I need to send that thought again, because you’re worried about it. You being worried about it must mean something.

But it really doesn’t mean anything, but the more you think about it, the more it starts showing up, it starts going by and by. And you start wondering more and more and more, and you do things mentally, ritualistically to alleviate the anxiety of the bird showing up.”

Just last year, Luke talked about having a bad flare up before he headed to Australia on tour, and how dealing with the OCD is still part of his daily life. Unfortunately, I think it’s something many people can relate to, and having someone with a platform as large as Luke’s is helpful for those who probably feel like this type of mental health struggle isn’t talked about nearly enough.

Props to Luke for being so open about it, because many even in the comments section seemed to feel comforted knowing they’re not the only ones who struggle with this… even a country music superstar who seemingly has it all still deals with hard things and isn’t afraid to share:

@treatmyocd Country singer @Luke Combs joined Dax Shepard on @Armchair Expert Podcast and opened up about Pure OCD and taboo themes. Luke spoke honestly about how many people with OCD experience terrifying intrusive thoughts—such as questioning their identity or sexuality, or fearing they could be something as horrific as a serial killer or pedophile. He explained how these thoughts can get stuck in the mind, leading people to rely on mental compulsions in an attempt to ease the fear and anxiety they cause. People are often afraid to speak up about taboo intrusive thoughts, which is why Luke’s courage in bringing light to them is truly groundbreaking. Thank you, Luke, for speaking up for those of us living with OCD and facing these thoughts. Your advocacy helps people feel less alone, and that means so much to the OCD community. #ocd #ocdawareness #mentalhealth #mentalhealthawareness ♬ original sound – NOCD

The full podcast is available to watch below.

The post Luke Combs Goes Into Great Detail Explaining How Debilitating His OCD Thoughts Can Be: “Like Seeing A Grizzly Bear Come Out Of The Woods In Your Mind” first appeared on Whiskey Riff.