Most people would agree that email can be a mixed blessing. Although it is a wonderful communication tool, if you subscribe to too many mailing lists, you can end up with an inbox full of useless material that you never take the time to read.

However, some emails arrive in your inbox with a burst of positivity. Instead of wasting your precious time, they stand out from the crowd because they are concise and well-crafted, offering messages to inspire you or encourage you to look after your own welfare.

Here are some mailing lists you will find worth subscribing to for your own health and mental wellness.

1. Happiful

Happiful, a magazine about mental health and wellbeing, handles tricky topics with great sensitivity. Happiful places great emphasis on the quality of its advice on subjects from relationships to culture, even giving readers a promise that an accredited counselor reviews every issue. You can be assured that they have taken genuine care to provide a high standard of information.

Recent articles in Happiful's email newsletter have included a guide to 10 Quick Workplace Wellbeing Wins. Subscribing to Happiful's mailing list provides you with a free digital copy of the Happiful magazine. You can read it online in a browser or download the Happiful app.

Full subscriptions are available, but there's no hard sell here. And if you like what you read, there's also a Happiful podcast available.

2. My Sweet Dumb Brain

My Sweet Dumb Brain offers advice on facing life's ups and downs while being kind to yourself. This weekly newsletter grew out of a personal tragedy when its creator lost her husband at a tragically young age. Yet, it is full of optimism and hope, brimming with joy and acceptance—like the recent issue, 10 Things I Like About Me.

A paid subscription model is available if you enjoy the free version, offering expanded pieces and extra resources.

3. Zelo

Zelo means diligent enthusiasm, and the folks at Zelo produce a fantastic range of journals to help people foster just that attitude towards work and life. Zelo sends a weekly email called Three Tip Thursday, which does exactly as the title promises for a loyal tribe of over ten thousand subscribers.

Recent topics have included money, work/life balance, and the vital need to find effective time management tips to organize your workload. Although there is often a link offering discounts on Velo products, there is no hard sell. Zelo products are excellent, by the way, and this writer swears by the original journal for organizing a cluttered mind.

4. Psych Central

Psych Central is a fantastic web resource, offering detailed information and support to help deal with all types of mental health issues, phobias, and disorders. Sign up for their newsletter to receive tips, stories, and practical advice. This newsletter and website are of particular use for anyone helping a loved one through troubled times. And they're not selling you anything, just providing an essential source of support to over two hundred thousand subscribers worldwide.

5. Thrive

Here's another chance to get yourself a free magazine. Thrive is a quarterly health magazine focusing on nutrition and living a healthy lifestyle. If you are interested in how the quality of the food you eat affects your health, or if you've ever considered using a meal planning app to eat healthily, you'll find recipes and ideas to inspire you to live well.

Sign up for the Thrive newsletter to receive a free digital copy of the magazine, an e-book called 10 Healthy Breakfasts, and a vegetarian recipe book. Every month you receive a newsletter called Healthy Bites, containing recipes, articles, and competitions. Because Thrive doesn't flood your inbox, you'll look forward to reading what's new when their emails drop.

6. The Mental Health Update

This newsletter is by Jordan Brown, a mental health advocate who has made it his mission to provide authentic mental health information to empower the lives of others. Each week your inbox will contain a link-packed mail designed to keep you up to date on the latest news and research. You'll find yourself watching videos, taking quizzes, and reading free guides. Jordan doesn't dumb anything down or try to underplay how debilitating the effects of poor mental health can be on all aspects of life, and he goes to great lengths to examine causes and symptoms.

There is so much content that you may find you only explore one or two of the suggested reads in each newsletter. However, Brown has taken the time to provide an abbreviated format of the whole thing for anyone feeling anxious or overwhelmed. He's a man who truly understands. If you're not sure whether this one is for you, try exploring the complete list of blogs so far on the Mental Health Update website.

7. Planet Mindful

Planet Mindful is another magazine offering a free issue when you sign up for their newsletter. Focusing on living an authentic life, caring for our planet, and embracing the moment, Planet Mindful is a welcome voice for anyone who wants to learn about living more sustainably. If you are interested in this newsletter, there are several apps for living a more sustainable life.

You are encouraged to subscribe to the print or the digital edition, but the newsletter is a lovely read in itself and provides a good insight into the magazine's tone. Recent articles have included a guide to extroversion versus introversion, and the benefits of cold water therapy, for fans of the BBC series Freeze The Fear with Wim Hof. With an entire 100-page issue available, it's easy to decide whether this one's for you. This writer enjoyed reading one article entitled The Benefits of Chocolate!

8. Sidetracked

This one's a beautiful burst of positivity to inspire those of you with a touch of wanderlust, especially after all the frustrations and restrictions that accompanied the COVID-19 pandemic.

Sidetracked is a print journal that publishes three times a year to record and capture the experience of travel adventures throughout the world. Sidetracked takes its mission to seek out the undiscovered and push back limits very literally, producing stories and videos that offer fresh insight into landscapes, people, and culture across our amazing planet.

The weekly Sidetracked Field Journal has almost reached two hundred editions. The latest issue travels from the Bolivian Andes through England's Peak District to Kazakhstan. Not only will this newsletter lead you virtually around the world, but it also links to other sources of beautifully curated images and stories. It's highly recommended.

Read Your Way to Positivity

In our busy lives, it's essential to step back and think about our health and wellbeing from time to time. Signing up to receive positive affirmations and inspirational articles in your inbox might provide you with the perfect solution for finding a moment of peace and mindfulness during a hectic day.

Then, step even further into a positive lifestyle by incorporating other sources of positive messages on your smartphone, like stress-busting apps and positive podcasts.