Overcoming Self-Pity/Braving/Anthony Bourdain

My wife says I'm good at wallowing in self-pity at times, and I actually am.

I tend to have a depressive-realistic outlook most of the time, and this is both a blessing and a curse. It drives me to make things better, but it also can paralyze me with inaction if I'm not careful.

I wrote this post, like I write most of my posts, for myself. I find it's when I write for one person that I connect to what's universal.

It's huge news that the serotonin hypothesis of depression has been debunked, and it's been really controversial, recently being picked up by cable news outlets and spun in all kinds of ways.

I have to admit, I believed until fairly recently that chemical imbalance was a logical explanation for depression.

I first learned it when I started volunteering for a mental health organization and even heard it in school. It's surprising to learn that there is no real evidence that serotonin deficiency causes depression.

There's no way I can make such a huge issue accessible, but I hope this article will inspire you to be curious and learn more. Thanks to Brook Siem and her good Substack newsletter for sharing her story about how medication impacted her and what she's learned about how the pharmaceutical industry operates. Selling selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors, or SSRIs is big business. I'm not saying drugs can't be helpful for some people in some circumstances. Always talk to a medical professional and, preferably, a psychiatrist, before taking psych meds.

This podcast made me an instant Morgan Fallon fan, someone I had never heard of before listening to it. I think it was the Anthony Bourdain tagline that drew me in, but I was gripped by everything Fallon said. It's clear that he's a creative genius, and I loved that he talked about some of the mental health issues that likely drive his success and over-the-top tenacity. There are pros and cons to everything in life.

I'm not a visual person whatsoever, but I was absolutely fascinated by the descriptions of videography/cinematography/getting the right shots in documentaries, and, of course, it helped that he shared some behind-the-scenes stories from his time working with Anthony Bourdain. If you're a kinetic-learning type with an active mind, you're going to LOVE this one.

Lots of cursing, which I'm usually not a fan of, but it absolutely did not detract from the free-flowing, wide-ranging, all-around brilliant conversation between Morgan and host, Tim Ferriss.

I swear I wasn't looking for this, but I often find that synchronicities are just the universe's way of asking, "Are you paying attention?" This video is a lesson in honesty and authenticity. It's a window into Bourdain's soul and his unique outlook on life.

It was hard to watch at first because hearing about Anthony Bourdain's death years ago was such a sucker punch for me. The only other celebrity death I could remember hitting me that hard was Robin Williams' passing.

I thought I knew a lot about Anthony Bourdain after being a fan of his show, No Reservations. I've also been watching some episodes of his other show, The Layover, with my wife.

Biggest shocker for me: Bourdain didn't make it big until he was 44, and he was massively in debt at the time. I think it was his openness to the extreme lows and highs of life that made him able to connect with literally anyone around the world and emerge to tell the stories in a searingly meaningful way. RIP, Tony.

I've been doing a lot of research into the benefits of journaling as part of my part-time job with Reflection.app and my interest in creating an accessible tool for people to learn about themselves and find their voice in the process.

What I learned is that the writing exercises that have most helped me in my life fall under a category called expressive writing, and James Pennebaker is the one that put expressive writing on the map.

I'm almost done with this one, and I've thoroughly enjoyed reading about the benefits of expressive writing and when not to do it (Don't write immediately following a traumatic event).

If you don't want to know the theory behind it, Pennebaker is joined by co-author, John Evans, who shares writing exercises to try. Evans felt so strongly about the methods Pennebaker uncovered with his research that he asked him to bring the then-out-of-print book back for a second publishing. Highly practical and readable stuff here.

I've always known Brene Brown as the "shame" person. Her books, videos, and general teachings about shame have helped me navigate the difficult emotion.

But I wasn't familiar--or at least, didn't remember--her BRAVING acronym until now. BRAVING is an easy-to-remember tool for developing more trust in your relationships.

The words of wisdom from  the final letter, "G" are especially powerful:

Generosity
Extending the most generous interpretation to the intentions, words, and actions of others.

Here's a link to the full description of the acronym and an option to download a one-pager for free.

Be the Change

Consider forwarding this email to a friend or family member.

I spend hours putting this newsletter together every week because I want people to have information that I wish I had when I was struggling.

Someone forward this to you? You can sign up here.

Help Make Mental Health Meaningful and Accessible

Do you enjoy getting this email?

Does this newsletter enrich your life, save you time, help you see mental health in a new way, or give you a slight jolt to get you through your week?

Consider sending a few bucks to my Paypal or Venmo (@Jordan-Brown-555).

Low on funds? I totally get it.

Forwarding this email to someone who you think might enjoy it is equally helpful!

No matter what you do, this newsletter will always remain free to anyone who wants to read it.