Rachel Platten: “I Didn’t Sleep for 3 Days” Fighting Anxiety, Depression, and Hitting Rock Bottom

Rachel Platten shares her deeply personal journey with mental health, including battles with anxiety, depression, and the various challenges she faced during the postpartum period.

Rachel describes her struggles with anxiety, depression, and postpartum mental health issues, including insomnia, panic attacks, and dissociation.

Rachel's experience of postpartum depression and anxiety encompassed a plethora of symptoms such as long nights of insomnia, panic attacks, and dissociation. Rachel acknowledged her struggle with hormonal imbalances after giving birth, which contributed to a cascade of anxieties, from career uncertainties to financial worries, to family health issues. These culminated in chronic pain, migraines, and an emotional detachment from her body.

Rachel recalls being in deep pain and suffering, crying out for help on the floor of her studio. She was battling, angry at God, and raging against her condition. Advised to take benzodiazepines to sleep and SSRIs for support, Rachel was petrified of taking medication but realized they provided the much-needed relief to help her sleep after months of insomnia.

Rachel initially tried to "spiritually bypass" her negative emotions through positive thinking and manifestation, but realized this approach was unhealthy.

In her struggle, Rachel initially resorted to "spiritually bypassing" her negative emotions through positive thinking and manifestation—a common but sometimes unhealthy practice in places like Los Angeles. However, this led to repressing feelings until she realized no amount of manifesting could push away the negative thoughts.

Rachel speaks about the importance of radical acceptance of one’s reality and engaging in practices like Tara Brach's RAIN—recognize, allow, investigate, nurture—to process emotions. She emphasized the necessity of saying "yes" to her condition, learning to acknowledge and release her emotions, whether through crying or screaming.

Medication and professional support, including therapy and EMDR, played a crucial role in Rachel's recovery.

An essential part of Rachel's recovery was professional support, including therapy and EMDR, which helped her process suppressed emotions like ...

In her journey through difficult times, Rachel Platten encountered a powerful spiritual experience that not only transformed her emotional well-being but also her relationship with the divine.

After her breaking point, Rachel had a powerful spiritual experience where she felt a profound presence and connection to something greater than herself

Rachel Platten narrates her moment of deep despair, finding herself on the floor of her studio at 2 a.m., screaming for mercy. It was then that an unexplainable presence comforted her and a song named "Mercy" came through her. This encounter with a distinct presence led her to believe that beyond her pain there was something larger at play in the world - a connection to the divine. She expresses this transformative moment as the start of her hunger for spiritual connection and dialogue with God. Platten reflects on how, during her darkest moments, music flowed continuously through her and she felt God was using her, giving her suffering a reason and sparking a search for divine signs.

This experience led Rachel to develop a deeply personal, intimate relationship with God/the divine, where she feels she can directly communicate and receive guidance

Two years after her breaking point, Rachel describes her relationship with the divine as "really intimate and great." She experiences her spiritual relationship as a "centered you that's one with God and one with everything," expressing how God has become her comfort and guide. Rachel went from imploring God to show Himself to feeling a personal and direct channel to communicate with the divine. She confirms that her rapport with God now transcends the need for intermediaries.

Rachel now relies on spiritual practices like journaling, meditation, and "re-parenting" herself to manage her emotions and stay connected to her inner wisdom

Rachel has cultivated a spiritual practice that keeps her grounded and emotionally resilient. Journaling is part of her routine where she lists down her stresses and fears, contrasting them with "God's job," humorously recording what she's entrusted to God and accepting outcomes as they unfold, including providing metaphorical stickers to God's 'completed' tasks. This practice reflects her profound faith in divine guidance.

Rachel no longer sees a need to go through intermediaries like psychics or intuitives to connect with the divine, as ...

Rachel's candid discussion about her journey as a songwriter and new mother reveals the deep connection between her songwriting, music, and personal emotional and mental health. Her creative process is not only a reflection of her emotional state but also a means of teaching and helping others to accept and love themselves.

Rachel's songwriting and music have been deeply intertwined with her emotional and mental health journey.

Rachel describes her art as being born from her pain, acknowledging that the most difficult moments in her life have often led to her most powerful and meaningful creative work. Her songs reflect an emotional range that stems from these experiences. For instance, her track "Mercy" was born out of a night of desperation in her studio, showcasing her ability to transform deep personal struggles into art. Moreover, her breakout hit "Fight Song" was not the product of a "chill experience," but emerged from a place of suffering, highlighting the relationship between Rachel's psychological state and her music.

Rachel has learned to approach her creativity and music-making from a place of surrender and trust, rather than striving or attachment to outcomes.

Rachel now views her musical career differently than she did when striving for hits like the number one song in the world—an achievement she likens to capturing "magic in a bottle." She takes pride in her current work for its intrinsic value, rather than its potential to yield specific outcomes. This indicates a profound shift in her attitude toward her music; it has become a "vehicle" for healing and connection rather than a means to garner external v ...

Rachel Platten reflects on her journey as a mother and an artist, discussing the conscious decisions she's made to balance her family life and her musical career.

Rachel made the conscious choice to step back from touring and maintaining her musical career at its peak in order to focus on her family and healing.

Rachel acknowledges the sacrifices and challenges of parenting, highlighting the complexity and the extremes of different styles that impact children's development. She shares her experiences with "gentle parenting" and setting boundaries, reflecting on the surprises of motherhood, especially the challenging leap from one child to two which she describes as a "shit show." Rachel is candid about her commitment to raising her children with privilege responsibly, ensuring they don't grow entitled.

Rachel made the choice to step back from music, a decision that she’s proud of, even though it meant stepping away from touring when her career was at its peak. This decision came after achieving the number one song in the world with "Fight Song" and starting a family. She discusses the importance of mothers feeling empowered to make the right choices for their families, even if it means a temporary hit to their careers. Rachel indicates the delicate act of balancing an identity as a mother alongside her musical aspirations and is content with where she is now.

As Rachel returns to her musical career, she is doing so from a place of greater balance, self-acceptance, and inner peace.

With her oldest child only five years old, Rachel is still figuring out the kind of mother she wants to be. She is finding harmony between setting firm boundaries for her children and managing her emotions without yelling, maintaining a household that doesn't endorse it. Despite the initial thought that motherhood would stifle her creativity, Rachel found that it expanded, leading to a transmutation of the wide range of motherhood emotions into her music.

Rachel’s husband has started working for her, alleviating some pressure and contributing to the household income. At the same time, her friend Ta ...