IMPORTANT Changes - In 2021, Email Will Transform Mental Health

By Jordan Brown - Mental Health Newsletter Writer, Poet, Social Worker, and Advocate • Issue #273 • View online

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.

Because starting next week, paying members will get 3 issues a week, on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday (In addition to other benefits to be announced in 2021).

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 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.

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.

Beat Anxiety With a Simple Anxiety Action Plan

How to Get Rid of Bad Stress Coping Mechanisms

Mentally Checked Out? Think Like a Tree

My Story - How I, Jordan Brown, Got Into the Mental Health Field

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By 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.

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IMPORTANT Changes - In 2021, Email Will Transform Mental Health

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

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