Luke Combs is a really talented man. He is also very candid about himself. Combs has spoken publicly about dealing with OCD, or in his case, what is called Pure OCD. He was a recent guest on the Armchair Expert podcast with Dax Shepard, per Whiskey Riff. Combs was extremely upfront about what the distracting thought patterns of someone dealing with this condition can be like. Coping with it can be a significant challenge.
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Combs Discussed Thought Patterns Sometimes Arising From OCD
What he described sounds like a cascade of thoughts that are hard or impossible to dismiss. "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."
The Singer Gave an Example
He continued, "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."
Combs added, "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."
His Frankness Helps Others
Combs' openness about OCD, which is not talked about in depth too often, makes people with similar symptoms feel less alone. There is no underestimating the power of a celebrity's voice. He deserves kudos for his immense courage, compassion, and candor.
