Jan 11, 2021

Tools to Stay Alive

By Jordan Brown - Mental Health Newsletter Writer, Poet, Social Worker, and Advocate • Issue #280 • View online

I’m not trying to scare you with this subject line.

I’m pointing out something that has become more and more apparent to me in the 9+ years I’ve been a mental health advocate.

Fancy mental health tools and strategies don’t matter if they don’t meet people where they are.

At any given time, there are massive amounts of people who are just trying to make it through the day.

What about tools for them?

What about strategies and tactics that help them?

How do we go about finding that?

That is what we’ll discuss in this issue.

A Dose of Uncomfortable Reality

No one should feel this way when seeking help.

When I was at my most desperate during my worst depressive episode back in 2015, I didn’t need a fancy strategy or sage words of advice from a therapist.

I just needed help.

I needed someone to listen to me–to believe me.

I desperately searched for something that would help me sleep again, to help me get through just one more day.

And all the procedures, protocols, tactics that providers threw at me didn’t even come close to addressing the core issues of my problems.

Eventually, I decided to go to the emergency room, and it was one of the best decisions I’ve ever made. It’s quite possible that making that decision saved my life.

Now, why am I telling you this?

I’m sharing this story with you because so much of the mental health system is self-serving.

Providers get degrees so they can fulfill their life plan of going into private practice to make good amounts of money while having a convenient schedule.

Schools operate like businesses because they are businesses. They churn out students without even teaching them about the most important aspects of mental health care: the mental health care they need to do first with themselves.

Of course, not everything is this way. Not everything is bad.

But something I’ve noticed over and over (and over) is that mental health treatment is frequently inaccessible and illogical for the people who are trying to find it.

There has to be a different way.

After all these years, I’m figuring out what that is.

What We Need for Complete Care

First, this is what we don’t need:

Flooding systems with quick fixes when the systems are broken in the first place
Having future therapists go to school only to end up in massive debt so that they are essentially forced to go into private practice if they ever want to make a decent living
Inaccessible strategies and tactics that are grounded in advice-giving–and not timeless principles that can be adapted to address a wide variety of situations

So here is what I propose for you to find the mental health care that is right for you.

If you’re struggling, it’s OK to acknowledge that you are struggling.

I can’t tell you how many times I had health care providers minimize my feelings and tell me that it really wasn’t as bad as I was making it out to be.

If you need basic help, it’s OK to acknowledge that you need basic help.

Seeking basic assistance doesn’t mean that you are broken. It doesn’t mean that you aren’t as smart as someone else. It’s just a fact. It’s your reality. The only way to get the help you need is to own your reality and share it with the world.

Finally, trust yourself.

There are entire systems based on the idea that you don’t know what you’re talking about. There are systems that base their credibility on being the experts and wielding that authority over others.

But you know what?

You’re the expert on your own life. You know more than anyone else alive on that subject.

So trust yourself. Hone your intuition.

———————————————————

Going with my gut is what ultimately kept me alive.

If I can leave you with anything today, it’s that you and your experiences are critically important parts of the equation.

When you’re selecting strategies to use, when you’re working with health care providers, don’t leave yourself at the door.

Bring your full self to your interactions whenever you’re searching for answers.

It’s not only helpful for developing great mental health–it’s absolutely necessary.

What a way to start a Monday, huh? I’m not here to alarm and enrage. I’m here to share practical wisdom so that you can figure out what you need for your own life. I wish people had told me this stuff when I was younger.

Today and every day, please be kind to yourself. Please trust yourself.

Have a great start to your week,

Jordan

P.S. I connected with a mentor yesterday about potentially starting a podcast this year. It would cover mental health topics big and small, but it would always connect back to everyday strategies for creating meaning and making sense of mental health.

What do you think about that? Do you like podcasts? Would you prefer video interviews over podcasts? Reply and let me know!

P.P.S. If this helped you in any way, please share it with someone else you think could benefit. Forward it to that one person who might need it. We change the world when we change our actions. I put hours into writing every week. I only ask that you help me spread mental health awareness.

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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, and 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 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 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.

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