A message of hope

As I come up on the first anniversary of the release of my book, The Road To Mental Wellness, I find myself reflecting. So, with that, I want to offer a message of hope.

What lies most dominant on my mind is one repetitive statement. “Man, I did that. I wrote an entire book!”

If you’ve never authored a book before, I can tell you it’s quite a daunting process. But it was, nonetheless, a perfect project for me. Given that I had gone off work because of PTSD, I needed some therapeutic release. The beauty about writing a book is that the entire project was on my terms.

In other words, when my mood was low, I could take a week off. Alternatively, when I was feeling better, I could sit down and write for a day. No pressure, no deadlines, just me and a passion keeping me alive – literally.

While I felt safe in this creative space, my end goal wasn’t simply to “keep me busy.” It had a purpose. What was my motive, you ask? Well, simply put, it was to get back to living. Even though I knew that I would never return to working in long-term care, I wasn’t about to let PTSD keep me down.

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Of course, looking back on it now, I realize I was a bit naive. I had this Idea that, “if I can sell enough books, then I can live off the royalties.” Man, what a dream!

As it turns out, having a mental illness and being a published author are a horrible combination, at least from a marketing point of view. Sadly, the same troubles that took me off the job, were the exact same thing that prevented me from selling.

As it turns out, selling books is the same as selling a movie and or selling music. One has to be constantly booked to promote it or it’s like: “Jonathan Arenburg who?” and “What is The Road To Mental Wellness about?” PTSD and the depression that accompanies it, sank my book into obscurity. As of writing this, it sits at 501,213 in the self-help category.

I know, at face value, it’s disheartening. And I could be very disappointed. But being bummed would mean that I am missing some pretty important facts. Not the least of them is – authoring a book is REALLY Hard! Thankfully, I have a healthy dose of gratitude to go along with those less-than-stellar sales. Why? Because I Fu&*$%@ did it.

listen to a free audio excerpt of my book, The Road To Mental Wellness

I, Jonathan Arenburg, wrote and published a book that people could actually buy and read! I mean, how amazing is that?

So, while the book hasn’t hit Stephen King-level sales, I have sold more than the Amazon average, so that’s good, right? Actually, I find it amazing.

But what cements my gratitude for the book rather than hating the ride, is the reviews, all eight of them.

While you might say, “You only have eight reviews?” I say, “Hell, ya, and I love them!” See, Surface-Level Thinking will promote one to produce such responses. However, underneath it is a huge sea of amazing. So, for example, if you read just one of those reviews, you will see that they carry a lot of weight. When I read them, the hair on my head tingles with pride.

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Read those reviews here:

The response:

Those few hundred people who have bought the book – at least the ones I’ve heard from – have thankfully been inspired. And really, if that’s the case, then the book is a huge success. Remember, it’s all about how you define success.

For me, my definition of success in this case is being able to write a book, while being drugged up and mostly bedridden. I don’t know about you, but I think that’s pretty darn good.

So, if you’re going through something similar, please know that you can have your own version of success. Besides, if it saves your life, like authoring a book saved mine, how can it not be a success? I will end by saying this:

Your success will always depend on the actions you take. It will not come running to you. In fact, misuse of drugs and alcohol will be action’s replacement. Trust me, you have it in you to go in the direction of empowerment.

Jonathan Arenburg – author of The Road To Mental Wellness

Jonathan Arenburg – author of The Road To Mental Wellness.

In the end, you need to define what makes you move forward. Not only that, but you also need to make each success, no matter how seemingly small, a huge deal. Once you do, you’ll find that you start to heal. I’m rooting for you.

Perhaps my book, The Road To Mental Wellness can help you find your way? See below for book details.

Front and back cover of the road to mental wellness - 8 sings your relationship is hurting your mental health.
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A message of hope – copyright, 2022

Jonathan Arenburg

Jonathan Reginald-Nixon Arenburg (Born January 14, 1976) is a Canadian mental health blogger, speaker, and published author. Retired from the fire service and long-term care fields, he has written and self-published an autobiographical account of his life-long battle with anxiety, depression and more recently, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Titled, The Road To Mental Wellness, he wrote it for what he calls “therapeutic release.” He published it in hopes it would help others going through similar mental health conditions. The sales of The Road To Mental Wellness have been steady selling over 300 copies since its release on October 10, 2021(World Mental Health Day). Arenburg has also been involved in a collaborative publication Called Lemonade Stand Volume III, a book featuring 20 authors who bravely tell their stories of PTSD. All authors where from the military and or emergency services. Published by Joshua Rivedal and Kathleen Myers for the i’Mpossible project, a mental health advocacy organization. Jonathan has also appeared on several mental health podcasts including The Depression Files, A New Dawn, and The Above Ground Podcast Arenburg has also consulted with the Government of Nova Scotia and the Minister of Mental Health and Addictions, the Honorable Brian Comer and Candidates for the New Democratic Party of Canada, on improving the mental health care system in Canada. Additionally, Jonathan was recognized in The Nova Scotia Legislature by the Honorable, Chris Palmer, Kings-North MLA, for his Book, The Road To Mental Wellness, his fight to make the mental health care system better. In addition, Chis acknowledged the support he gives to others.

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