Make your life easier with 1 decision-action path

By Jordan Brown - Mental Health Newsletter Writer, Poet, Social Worker, and Advocate • Issue #406 • View online

Very Important: I will be switching to a new email service provider starting with the next issue going out on Thursday, 11/25.

The service I currently use, Revue, has been abused by spammers ever since Twitter purchased it, and my deliverability has plummeted by hundreds of emails in the last few weeks. So I’ll be moving to a service called MailerLite.

If you like my emails, please make sure you check your spam folder and mark the email as “not spam.” Also, add “jordan@thementalhealthupdate.com” as a contact and drag the email into your primary inbox (in Gmail) if you have not already done so.

And the number ONE thing you can do to help me is respond to this email because it’s already set up with the above email address. This will continue to “warm up” the email as I get ready to send with a new email provider on Thursday. Thank you so much.

And if you no longer want to receive my emails, you can unsubscribe by clicking the link at the bottom of this email. No hard feelings.

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When we talk about mental health issues, we often latch onto symptoms.

We talk about the things we can see.

We especially like talking about the “scary” things, the behaviors that make us nervous or uncomfortable.

But there’s something else we need to talk about–something so important that I’m amazed it doesn’t come up in more mental health conversations.

That something is “knowing yourself.”

Today you’re going to learn why getting to know yourself better is one of the most important steps you can take to improve your mental health.

Then, you’re going to learn how to easily take that step.

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If you buy something through one of these links, I’ll get a very small percentage to fund the hours of work I put into this content every week. Thank you for considering.

Here are a few books that helped me to better know myself and get more out of life.

Man’s Search for Meaning by Dr. Viktor Frankl is incredible. I’ve read it multiple times. The same goes for Meditations by Marcus Aurelius. It’s like no other book I’ve read. Finally, I’m currently reading Transformation by Robert Johnson, and it’s really making me think.

Now on to today’s featured programming!

Why Knowing Yourself is So Important

Knowing yourself makes everything easier.

It can decrease anxiety, renew your focus, and lift your spirits.

But you might be wondering, “What does it actually mean to know yourself?”

Have you ever stopped to consider what you love?

For instance, what do you love doing?

What would you do even if you could never get paid for it?

What are the traits that are so core to your being that you forgot that they’ve always been part of you?

For me, it’s being curious.

I’m that guy who is always asking questions.

When I went to grad school to study social work, I’m that person who asked not one or two–but three follow-up questions so that I could drain as much knowledge out of the professor as was humanly possible.

My classmates hated me.

They wanted to get out of class early. They wanted to know what they needed to do for homework so that they could get on with their lives.

But, for me, the questions were my life.

I’m obsessed with asking questions.

So a key part of being happy for me is putting myself in situations and environments that not only tolerate my question-asking behavior but encourage it.

The same applies to who I spend my time with.

I get drained by people who are not curious, people who accept whatever they are told and fall in line with the status quo.

I need curious people in my life like I need water.

And because I know this about myself, I can be intentional about the actions I take.

I can choose behaviors and experiences that are most likely to allow me to come alive.

Know Yourself to Improve Your Mental Health

So, I’m going to ask you some important questions:

Do you know yourself?

Do you know what makes you happy and what makes you tick?

Do you even spend any time considering these types of questions?

If not, it’s time to begin.

Because your mental health is at stake.

Think about all of the relationships you’ve had in your life.

Think about the ones that brought you the most joy and the ones that crushed your spirit.

If I had to guess, I would say that the bad relationships were bad because they did not fit who you were–and are–as a person. They didn’t allow you to be your full self.

Knowing yourself can combat this.

And it’s not just relationships.

It’s jobs and career paths. It’s what you do in your free time. It’s even what you read and watch.

The better you know yourself, the better you can choose what you want to do with your life.

It doesn’t have to be harder than stopping to think.

It doesn’t have to be more difficult than writing a list.

At some point this week, try this:

Take ten minutes of your time to create a list–a list of who you are.

Write down all the people and experiences that have made you happy.

Write down whatever comes to mind. Don’t limit yourself.

Just let your creativity flow.

The more you write, the more ideas that will come to you.

Before you know it, you will have a list of 20-30 items.

And soon you will see patterns emerge.

You will see the fine threads that have woven your life.

Study the list so that you can study yourself.

Because the better you know yourself, the easier it is to make decisions for how you spend your time.

A huge part of anxiety in life comes from not knowing.

It stems from the crippling indecisions that eat away at your vitality.

It doesn’t have to be that way.

You can know yourself better.

You can reintroduce yourself to who you are.

And if you do, the world will open up–not because it was closed in the first place, but because the person who is looking at it is viewing it all in a new, more vibrant way.

I hope you enjoyed this one. Working at better understanding myself is one of the top levers I can pull to live a happier life. It’s helped me out so much, which is why I’m sharing it with you.

I hope you have a good Tuesday and Wednesday.

See you in a bit,

Jordan

P.S. I’ve recently connected with a fantastic mental health startup called Hurdle. I’m going to be helping them out a bit, and I want to know what you think of their culture-first approach to therapy. I really believe in what they’re doing. Started by a black man who couldn’t find a therapist who understood his life experiences, I think this is the kind of therapy model we need in the United States. And beyond.

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Did you enjoy this issue?

By Jordan Brown - Mental Health Newsletter Writer, Poet, Social Worker, and Advocate

Authentic, actionable mental health. Improve how you feel. The Mental Health Update Mental Health Newsletter provides you with authentic mental health articles that make mental health issues like depression, anxiety, and OCD meaningful AND accessible.

This is different from typical mental health newsletters and articles about mental health challenges.

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

I was tired of other "mental health care" newsletters blasting out generic lists of links and depression 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 or raise your anxiety.

Newsletter articles sent on Tuesday and Thursday.

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Make your life easier with 1 decision-action path

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Can't decide? A strange but effective way to think about decisions

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How I Protect My Energy

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