Bunnie XO Struggles 'Daily' with 'Disturbing, Unwanted Thoughts' Due to OCD: 'It Isn't Just Being Tidy'

Mar. 15, 2025

Bunnie XO in Austin in 2024.Photo:Taylor Hill/WireImage

Bunnie XO attends the 2024 CMT Music Awards at Moody Center on April 07, 2024 in Austin, Texas.

Taylor Hill/WireImage

Bunnie XOsaid thatobsessive compulsive disorder(OCD) is a “daily” struggle for her, and said there’s a “misconception” that it’s just about being organized.

“I know some people joke about being a little OCD, but as someone who’s actually living with OCD, I’ll be the first to tell you it’s not a laughing matter,” the podcaster, 44, said on the Dec. 6 episode of her podcastDumb Blonde.

“It isn’t just being tidy or organized. OCD is actually having disturbing, unwanted thoughts that cause you overwhelming anxiety because they just feel so wrong, and you really don’t wanna be thinking about them.”

Bunnie XO in Frisco, Texas, in 2024.Jason Kempin/Getty

Alyssa DeFord attends the 59th Academy of Country Music Awards at Omni Frisco Hotel at The Star on May 16, 2024 in Frisco, Texas.

Jason Kempin/Getty

Bunnie referred to those repetitive behaviors on the podcast, saying that “you do [them] to try to make the anxiety from those thoughts go away; but that just doesn’t work in the long run, and they just keep coming back.”

As someone who knows firsthand the challenges of coping with OCD, Bunnie says, “The idea that OCD is only about handwashing and organization is a complete misconception… it often focuses on the things we care about most, our relationships, religious beliefs, our hobbies, and passions, in an attempt to make the distress from their unwanted thoughts go away.”

She calls her repetitive behaviors “my rituals, which can be incredibly time consuming and exhausting.”

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Jelly Roll and Bunnie XO in Frisco, Texas, in 2024.Christopher Polk/Getty

Jelly Roll and Bunnie XO at the 59th Academy of Country Music Awards from Ford Center at The Star on May 16, 2024 in Frisco, Texas.

Christopher Polk/Getty

Bunnie has shared in the past that she covered up her OCD and anxiety with drugs and alcohol, writing in anInstagram post, “Sobriety opened up a whole Pandora’s box of anxiety, OCD & depression [I] never knew [I] had until I had to stop covering up all the pain w/ pills & alcohol.”

However, she said, “It’s starting to become easier & easier w/ every show. I could cry when I think about how far I’ve come on this tour. Who knew all along this is what I was needing to do to start conquering my fears since getting sober.”

As she shared on her podcast, “If you think you might be struggling with OCD… I hate that for you because I struggle with it daily.”

If you or someone you know needs mental health help, text “STRENGTH” to the Crisis Text Line at 741-741 to be connected to a certified crisis counselor.

source: people.com