‘They’re not alone’

Berwick man writes book about his mental health battle to help others

A Berwick man is sharing his story with the goal of giving other people hope.

Jonathan Arenburg selfpublished a recently released book about his battle with mental illness, anxiety, depression and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). The Road To Mental Wellness is available on Amazon.

“I wrote it for therapeutic release, published it in hopes that it would help others,” he said. “What I want this book to do is to let people know they’re not alone.”

Arenburg volunteered in the fire service for 15 years and worked at the Kings Regional Rehabilitation Centre in Waterville for 18 years. He was diagnosed with major depressive disorder (MDD) in 2018 and is now off work.

Arenburg, 45, said he has always been fascinated with human behaviour and he started exploring his own background.

For therapeutic reasons, he started jotting down some of the things from his past. He started sharing some of his stories with others.

“People were like, ‘Wow, that resonates with me,’” he said.

“When I started talking about my mental health conditions as they deteriorated, people would come to me and say, ‘I feel this way, but I’m too scared to bring it up. Thank you for talking about your own situation.’ …

“A lot of people are scared to death to talk about these things.”

Arenburg said the book is about his journey and how he has overcome things.

“This book is very careful to chronicle my own story,” he said. “(It’s) not, ‘you should try this.’”

The book was written during a three-year period through the pandemic and as Arenbrug’s mental wellness permitted.

“With MDD, anxiety and post-traumatic stress, writing this book allowed me to customize my purpose,” he said.

Arenburg, who writes a blog at TheRoadToMentalWellness.com, was one of 20 authors featured in Lemonade Stand Vol. III, a book highlighting the personal stories of past or present emergency service providers or military personnel living with PTSD.