About Rachie!

About Rachi hi, my name is Rachel Havocost and I am a writer and mental health advocate. I've been in therapy for about 20 years and it's been a while since I have done a who am I on this app. I think it's probably been a year. So I thought it would be nice to share a little bit more about myself with you and I'd love to know more about you in the comments. So I have struggled with mental illness since I was 15. I'm 36 now. I was diagnosed with an eating disorder and then afterwards depression and anxiety.

And I have been treatment twice for my eating disorder. And I've been in therapy for about 20 years. And during that process, it has been really. It's been very isolating at times because when I started going to therapy, therapy was super stigmatized. Mental health was really stigmatized. And I really, really longed for stories of people that had been through what I was going through because I felt really, really alone and I felt like something was wrong with me. So I started sharing more about my mental health, specifically my eating disorder and depression, back in 2020, right after getting divorced.

And I was also going through the grief of that and kind of feeling like I have nothing to lose at this point. I'm gonna start sharing my story and. And since then I have absolutely relapsed and had to go back to therapy and treatment. And it's been really incredible to see the shift in how people are talking about mental health online, like, especially with this app and people sharing their stories and caring about mental health and providing tools and resources, but also safe spaces for people to feel less alone.

So that has kind of been the impetus for me to be on this app and to share my story with you and share things I've learned. I also have a master's in mental health counseling. I was planning on being a therapist for a while and then decided to kind of move in a more creative direction cause it's just a better fit for who I am. So I ended up writing about my mental health, talking about it online. And so that's why oftentimes I'll still share educational things, because I do have that educational background.

But I really like to just mostly share things that I have found have been helpful for me. Because even though I have that history of being in school for it, I think at least for me, it's always really helpful when I hear stories of someone that's been been through something similar to me. What's been helpful for them versus sort of like a General here's what you should do if you're struggling with XYZ so if you are someone who has struggled with an eating disorder or body image, or have a a challenging relationship with food or or how you look, or you struggle with depression or suicidal thoughts or thinking or anxiety of any kind, or the grief of a divorce, this is a safe space for you.

This is an okay place for you to be. I'm glad that you are here. And and if there's anything like specifically in those topics that you want me to share about, whether it's telling a story about it to feel less alone, or like specific tools for working through something, please let me know in the comments. I'm more than happy to make a video based on something that you ask. I just am so grateful to be here. Period. And I'm so grateful that this app exists and that you are all here taking care of yourselves and showing up for yourselves.

Because I think it's a really brave a brave thing to do. So I'm really glad you're here. And if you're just stumbling across my profile, I have tons of videos on all different kinds of topics. I really hope you check them out and if you have questions or comments, please let me know. I'll see you next time.