Hi, thanks for tuning into Bedtime Snack. Rachel here, and today is actually not a full episode, rather a check in and update. I want to be honest and transparent, especially if this can be helpful for someone else. Starting tomorrow, Tuesday the 17th, I’m going into a special program for my mental health. I don’t know right now how long I’ll be doing treatment, so it’s also hard to say how it will impact this little podcast. I know I don’t have a ton of listeners, but I’ve made friends and connections through the last 8 episodes and didn’t want to leave anyone hanging, or worse leave anyone feeling confused or concerned.

I started this podcast to show up for myself and to pursue a creative endeavor. Right now, I need to prioritize and show up for myself.

While I didn’t want to miss weekly episodes that I set out to do, I also want to take excellent care of myself and commit to this intensive treatment. I’m very grateful I have the means and health insurance to partake in this program. I know not everyone in my position is this lucky and supported. I hope to share more in the future, but just know this: if you are suffering, I understand what that is like, you really are not alone, and you deserve help, you deserve to feel better. My friend adri is a therapist, and she said something that really struck me a few days ago: “you deserve to feel well”.

I think life is different now in terms of mental health awareness than it was even just a generation ago, but there’s still so much stigma around mental health that makes it hard to ask for help. I would be lying if I said I haven’t felt embarrassed in the last several days as I realized I needed extra help. To tell my family, my doctor, my therapist, my workplace, that I am struggling was not easy. But I did. I am glad I reached out and am lucky I was held up.

I guess what I’m trying to say is, well what I say at the end of every episode- Thanks for being here. Truly, thank you for being here, even when I have to step away. I look forward to returning to this space and to my life, feeling better and more like myself again. Until then, I’ll be taking big breaths, taking care, and trying to relax my jaw, baby.

I’ll miss you, and I’ll be right back.

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