IMPORTANT Changes - In 2021, Email Will Transform Mental Health

This is the last issue of The Mental Health Update for 2020. Just like that, the first year of this n
IMPORTANT Changes - In 2021, Email Will Transform Mental Health
This is the last issue of The Mental Health Update for 2020.
Just like that, the first year of this newsletter has come to a close.
And what a year it has been.
What started as a daily newsletter during “normal times” has since morphed into a 3-day-a-week newsletter during an international pandemic that is ongoing.
And, come next week, it will morph again.
Everyone else will get shortened issues of the Monday and Wednesday emails, which will be sent out on Tuesday and Thursday, respectively.
This is based on feedback I’ve collected over the year saying that I should send fewer, high-quality emails.
And it’s based on my ability to provide only the most accessible, helpful, and meaningful mental health content I can.
Now on to today’s newsletter–and what I’ve learned about this year-long mental health experiment of connecting with others via email.

Email Newsletters and Mental Health
Email can be a personal lifeline in a time of disconnection.
Email can be a personal lifeline in a time of disconnection.
Email seems like it would be a strange medium to discuss mental health issues.
But, the more I think about it, the less strange it seems.
Because email has some benefits that other platforms, such as social media, do not have.
Here’s a fact: email is inherently private by nature.
You have invited me into your inbox. I’m not just some random guy who happened to show up unannounced.
Whether you found me through Twitter, where I first got the word out about this, or through Google or some other source, you had to find me and resonate with the message I was sharing.
And the message I’m sharing with the world is that mental health awareness and the mental health system, as they currently stand, are fundamentally flawed.
For years, I’ve been writing online, first with a site called Nerve 10, and now with The Mental Health Update, to provide the kind of mental health content I wanted to find on the Internet.
Mental Health Content that is:
  • Accessible
  • Meaningful
  • Empowering
  • Relatable
  • Story-Based
  • Not condescending
  • Filled with real-life examples, not medical jargon
The responses I get to these emails every week have shown me that this kind of content is badly needed in the world.
And what better way to share mental health stories and timeless wisdom than through the intimate setting that is your email inbox?
Your Email Inbox and Mental Health
When you allow emails into your inbox, you open your home to others.
When you allow emails into your inbox, you open your home to others.
You see, I kind of feel like my email inbox is an extension of my home.
If you’re like me, you hate it when people show up in your inbox unannounced.
Spam is still a major problem in 2020, and that’s why I include on my email sign-up forms a promise to never spam. Because I view spamming as not being considerate of people’s mental health.
Personally, I take great care to curate what is allowed into my inbox.
I subscribe to the view that you gave me permission to send you emails–and that permission can be revoked at any time.
Seth Godin calls this Permission Marketing.
I call it earning and maintaining your trust.
Because trust is absolutely critical if any mental health solution is going to be helpful or not.
I’ve had the best results with mental health professionals when they treat me like a human being and work to earn my trust. Almost everyone I’ve talked to about good mental health care has indicated the same thing, in some form or another.
All healing happens in relationships, whether those relationships are between individual and mental health professional, father and son, or two colleagues discussing life after a long day of work.
And so it goes with my decision to start a mental health newsletter.
It’s mass emails, but it’s also a very personal approach.
I invite readers to continue the conversation with me, and many of you have.
In fact, a common thread in the responses I get is that it doesn’t feel like I’m forcing my advice on others.
In fact, I hate the word advice. Advice implies that I know what you should do with your own life.
And nothing could be further from the truth.
You know your life best.
We just sometimes need that little oomph to get us going where, deep down, we know we’re already fully capable of going.
I believe that for you.
It’s why I write for hours and hours every single week.
One, because it’s a labor of love. And two, because we’re all in this together.
I get to share about a topic that I absolutely love–mental health.
And you get to teach me more than I can possibly give.
I mean this.
This is only the beginning of what I feel is a new, technologically grounded, way of discussing and navigating mental health issues.
I sure am glad you’re here.
However you found me, I’m glad you did.
May you enter 2021 with hope and good health.
And if you’re not there yet, because there are days when I’m certainly not, just know that there are others like you out there, learning to cope and improving their mental health in the best ways they know how.
From the bottom of my heart, thanks for caring about mental health this year, and thanks for letting me into your life to figure this all out together.

Jordan

P.S. Here are some of the top issues of the year, now posted on The Mental Health Update site. Starting in 2020, as a way of thanking you for making this labor of love possible, members will see issues way earlier than anyone else.
Did you enjoy this issue?
Become a member for $10 per month
Don’t miss out on the other issues by Jordan Brown - Mental Health Newsletter Writer, Poet, Social Worker, and Advocate
Jordan Brown - Mental Health Newsletter Writer, Poet, Social Worker, and Advocate

The Mental Health Update provides you with authentic mental health articles that make mental health issues like depression, anxiety, OCD meaningful AND accessible.

This is different from typical mental health newsletters and articles.

It's not just an Anxiety Email Newsletter or a Depression Email Newsletter - It's three weekly articles packed with timeless mental health wisdom and inspiration to start your day in a thoughtful, uplifting way.

I was tired of other newsletters blasting out generic lists of links and articles. And I was especially tired of them not focusing on the everyday reality of mental health issues.

So I decided to come up with something I wanted to read.

This health newsletter is like a caring friend that just wants you to feel better.

Mental health awareness articles don't need to be all doom and gloom and filled with jargon.

With The Mental Health Update, you'll get practical mental health information, tips, and new ways to view the world. Especially now, with people reeling from the effects of the COVID 19 pandemic, we need trusted voices telling it like it is.

We discuss topics like anxiety, depression, OCD, the mental health to mental illness spectrum, social and communication skills, and much, much more.

This is what a few subscribers had to say about The Mental Health Update:

"If you haven't yet subscribed to Jordan's mental health newsletter, you absolutely should. It's chock full of good stuff to read and will help make your day better. Not unlike a daily vitamin for your mental health and soul..." - JR

"Encouragement from someone who has “been there” when it comes to mental health struggles. Comes in the form of stories and simple, actionable tips for reframing and working with - and through - your issues. One of the few newsletters that has survived my ruthless inbox decluttering sprees. Highly recommended!" - Kelila

"Jordan's mental health update is a welcomed email in my inbox. It often provides me with a chance to break from the mundane tasks of working in an office and take a moment for myself to hear his thoughtful and well put together thoughts on many aspects of mental health. As someone who works in the psychology field it's often a nice reminder and way of grounding myself to all the great work that's going on and the journey we all must take in supporting mental health. Thank you Jordan!" - Rob

I take my no-spam policy very seriously. I consider it a mental health obligation to not abuse your trust.

Articles sent on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday.

You can manage your subscription here
If you were forwarded this newsletter and you like it, you can subscribe here.
Powered by Revue
Missoula, MT

Older messages

Holiday Wisdom...From Facebook?

Monday, December 28, 2020

I didn't have much of a Christmas this year. And you know what? It ended up being totally fine. And I Holiday Wisdom...From Facebook? By Jordan Brown - Mental Health Newsletter Writer, Poet, Social

A mental health vaccine?

Wednesday, December 23, 2020

Here's a big question. And I want you to seriously consider this. Would you take a mental health vacc A mental health vaccine? By Jordan Brown - Mental Health Newsletter Writer, Poet, Social Worker

[Updated] Holiday Mental Health Guide

Monday, December 21, 2020

Last year around this time, I wrote a holiday mental health guide. In it, I included three ideas / pr [Updated] Holiday Mental Health Guide By Jordan Brown - Mental Health Newsletter Writer, Poet,

Learning to Accept Reality (My Story)

Friday, December 18, 2020

My dad is dealing with something. It's been on my mind a lot lately. He had knee-replacement surgery Learning to Accept Reality (My Story) By Jordan Brown - Mental Health Newsletter Writer, Poet,

[Easy 4-Step Guide] Unrealistic Expectations From Others

Wednesday, December 16, 2020

Unrealistic expectations. They slither in and wrap themselves around you. They might come from a frie [Easy 4-Step Guide] Unrealistic Expectations From Others By Jordan Brown - Mental Health Newsletter

You Might Also Like

Freshly brewed microplastics

Tuesday, December 24, 2024

— Check out what we Skimm'd for you today December 24, 2024 Subscribe Read in browser Together with vuori But first: the allure of grey sweatpants is alive and well Update location or View forecast

"sueño convulso (seizure dream)" by Urayoán Noel

Tuesday, December 24, 2024

where am I / ordinary explosión / de las sienes hundred temples December 24, 2024 donate sueño convulso (seizure dream) Urayoán Noel Isabela, Puerto Rico where am I ordinary explosión de las sienes

Review: “The Invisible Doctrine”

Tuesday, December 24, 2024

George Monbiot and Peter Hutchinson call out neoliberalism for what it is. The biggest scam and economic failure of the past forty years. A mockery of economics that reduces every element of society to

I’m Ditching My Jeans & Trying These Cooler Pants In 2025

Tuesday, December 24, 2024

The anti-denim trends taking over. The Zoe Report Daily The Zoe Report 12.23.2024 It's finally here. The week in which emails are set on vacation mode, sweatpants are the daily uniform, and eating

The Year Bisexuality Stopped Being a Punchline

Monday, December 23, 2024

Today in style, self, culture, and power. The Cut December 23, 2024 Presented by YEAR IN REVIEW The Year of the Bisexual Once a pop-culture punch line, bisexuals spiced up some of the year's

Blake Lively’s Cleavage-Baring Red Carpet Look Was Basically Chic PJs

Monday, December 23, 2024

Plus, Beyoncé's holiday twist on the cowboycore trend, your daily horoscope, and more. Dec. 23, 2024 Bustle Daily A front-row seat at the red-sauce ballet. FOOD A Front-Row Seat At The Red-Sauce

11 Different Kinds of Checking Accounts, Explained

Monday, December 23, 2024

How to Get a Free Car If You Can't Afford One. Not all checking accounts are created equal, and some are created for specific people. Not displaying correctly? View this newsletter online.

A Man's Hotel Is His Castle

Monday, December 23, 2024

A grand buffet to close out our visit to China earlier this year ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏

Lost my seat to… what now?

Monday, December 23, 2024

— Check out what we Skimm'd for you today December 23, 2024 Subscribe Read in browser Header Image But first: unlock more of what you love with a premium Skimm+ membership Update location or View

"2020 A Year to Forget" by Nancy Mercado

Monday, December 23, 2024

Earth put a roaring halt / to our empty rabid existence December 23, 2024 donate 2020 A Year to Forget Nancy Mercado Earth put a roaring halt to our empty rabid existence ceasing marathon plastic