Notes from the Community, Volume 3

Bigger than before: more links, comments, and balloon emojis. 🎈

Friends and readers, thanks for being out there! I’m so glad to be writing this newsletter and interacting with lots of people in the community. Here’s the third roundup of community notes, featuring reader comments, links, and more.

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What We’ve Covered So Far 

We’re now six weeks into the year. So far we’ve covered:

Introduction, It Was Going So Well, Unhelpful Life Advice, From Rejection to Reflection, Overthinking, A Couch Can Make You Happy, “I Wish I’d Made That Change Later,” Why This Now?, “Your Voicemail Isn’t  Working,” Your Last 40 Minutes, Imposter Syndrome Isn’t What You Think, Consider the Opposite of What You’re Worried About, Prune Your Calendar, How I Use (and Don’t Use) Adderall to Focus, You Can Be Better than You Are, Is It Always Best to "Do What Makes You Happy"?, and A Tale of Two Yoga Teachers

I’m looking forward to seeing the list expand as the year progresses.

Popular Comments 📝

Most posts will have the option to comment—and it’s so fun to see readers jumping in!

In this section I’ll highlight a few recent comments that were upvoted the most by the community. (These are edited lightly for brevity, without changing the tone. Read the full comments and many more on each post’s page.) 

From Matthew, on the post Is It Always Best to ‘Do What Makes You Happy?’:

I will say this: Sometimes the activism needs to be for yourself first and foremost. You can't help the world if you can barely help yourself. "Clean up your own house" means understanding why you are the way you are, seeking help to get clarification, and pushing yourself to not get caught up on the trivial many.

From Ari, on the post Imposter Syndrome Isn’t What You Think:

I think the concept of "imposter syndrome" is a very real thing. I've talked highly-qualified colleagues and family members through it. However, I have also seen people claiming imposter syndrome when they are actually sensing a very real skills deficit that could be addressed. They're just so terrified of being seen as incompetent that they're afraid to ask for help.

I've developed a kind of flow chart to address this feeling when it comes up in my own life. If I feel like I have somehow "snuck" my way into a job/position that I'm not qualified for, can I take concrete steps to improve my skills in the areas where I feel a deficit? Is adding that to my schedule realistic and healthy? If so, I work on the skills... (Read more here.)

From Sheila, on the post Consider the Opposite of What You’re Worried About:

One of my mottos is "The amount of energy you put into worrying about something does not count as effort expended towards solving the problem."

See also: The Worry List, a helpful activity from

Gary Hirsch

From Penny, on the post How I Use (and Don’t Use) Adderall to Help with Focus: 

I'm going to be 65 this coming Monday (yup - 3 days 😵‍💫). I was diagnosed a couple of months ago. My PNP prescribed generic Vyvanse, and to say it has changed my life would be an understatement. I'm able to follow written directions that have more than one step without having to constantly refer back to them (alt+tab is my friend...), my house is (almost) tidy, I've started decluttering, and I've tackled tasks at work that previously had me hitting the proverbial snooze button.

And from Bad Art Company, on the post Do You Ever Feel ‘Too Sensitive’?:

When it comes to receiving feedback/criticism on my art/work, I will sometimes say "I am not receiving feedback at this time." When I am ready to receive feedback, I will ask people I know and trust. As my best friend tells me "Don't take criticism from someone you wouldn't take advice from."

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Art & Other Fun Things

• Loved this comic by

  Grant Snider
  for the NYT Book Review

  

• Did you know that the makers of the Oregon Trail game also made a game about the Underground Railroad? It didn’t go well—but the backstory is fascinating. Listen here or wherever you get podcasts:

• In WWII, a British pencil factory made secret pencils that could be broken open to reveal a map and a compass. These were then sent to POWs who were allowed to receive care packages. I learned about this from Escape Through a Pencil by

  Nanette Regan

  

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Posts and Stories I Liked 

As a Twitter refugee (I gave up using my account with 140k followers last year), I miss the format of short-form conversations. Substack Notes isn’t quite the same thing, but one thing it is helpful for is finding the work of other writers.

In addition to my regular browsing, every couple of weeks I do a public call for submissions. I’ll share many of the links that people send me in future posts.

For now, here are a few posts I’ve enjoyed recently: 

• Holding Your Identity Softly In The Palm Of Your Hand by

  Nathalie Lussier

• The Month Everything I Owned Imploded by

  Emily McDowell

• The Case for Making Huge Changes by

  Karla Starr

• His Trauma Is My Trauma by

  Karen Wesley

• Learn to Read Science by

  Owen Scott Muir, M.D

Note: if you’re publishing a newsletter, feel free to comment in this post with the name of your publication so that other readers can find you. 

Special Thanks to our Paid Subscribers

As promised, most content on A Year of Mental Health will be completely free. Paid subscribers make this possible.

Even though we have very few paywalled posts, many of you have already upgraded your subscriptions—and I am grateful! Thank you. 🙏 🙏 🙏

Whenever someone upgrades, the platform offers subscribers a chance to write a note to the creator, which can be shared with the subscriber’s permission.

Here are a few that I received this week:

"The Art of Non-Conformity opened my eyes to a world I didn’t know existed, and your writing style works well for me."

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"I love what you’re doing to build a community around this topic."

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"I love your post about “Are you too sensitive.” You hit the nail on the head for me. You explained me to the T and made me feel so much better about myself immediately. I never thought of my sensitivity as being a super power. I’m looking forward to reading more from you in the future. I think I’m going to gain a lot of insight from your perspective. Thank you so much!”

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Again, I want this project to be helpful and valuable to you. We’re just getting started, and it’s going to be a fun year. 

The Vault: Tools & Resources for Paid Subscribers

A few weeks ago we launched The Vault! This is the first phase of my plan to reward paid subscribers while keeping most posts freely available to everyone. 🔐

Among other items, everyone with access will receive three 5-9 minute audio reflections. You can download or listen to these in the app, whatever is convenient to you. 🎙️

• FOCUS: How to Do Only One Thing a Time

• OVERWHELMED: Why It Happens and How to Feel Better

• PURPOSE: Discovering What Matters Most

I plan to add to The Vault throughout the year, so stay tuned for more.

Scholarships Available Upon Request

What if you want a paid subscription but can’t afford it? It’s all good, we’ve got you covered! 🤝

Specifically, we now have a scholarship plan where you can pay whatever you can afford. These scholarships are covered by our Founding Members—thank you, Founding Members!

If you’d like one, just send a note to team @ chrisguillebeau .com with the word “Scholarship” in the subject line. We’ll help you get whatever option you need.

On the Horizon

That’s it for now, but I’ll be back Monday at 7am Pacific time. Upcoming topics include: electronics trauma, undiagnosed ADHD, and a plan for surviving election season.

And maybe a surprise guest or two! Like I said, there’s much more to come. 🎁