Mental health podcasts are a great way to check ourselves, feel less alone, and put on our earphones to leave the world behind…
We all have things that we struggle with on our own and collectively. Sometimes the best medicine is finding a reminder that you are not alone. Podcasts are an excellent way to find humor in the human condition and to discuss those things, out in the open, that might not be very comfortable. Podcasts are a way that you can help to feel less alone and to find a way to lift whatever is holding you emotionally down! These top ten mental health podcasts might just be the thing you need to make it through the day-to-day struggles of trying to find your happy place.
Top Ten Mental Health Podcasts
1. Terrible, Thanks For Asking
Have you ever noticed that when people ask how you are, they almost always expect you to say “fine.” It is sporadic for anyone to voice a concern or say, “I am super shitty,..”. The question of how are you is one that gets thrown out to make the questioner feel absolved because, after all, they asked. And also to make the recipient answer “fine” without really talking about how they really feel.
The podcast, Terrible, Thanks for Asking, hosted by Nora McInerny, attempts to break the taboo of actually telling others how you really feel inside. It urges those who listen to share their heartbreaks, their worries, and their angst instead of adhering to the “no negative answer allowed” policy. For any of you out there who is either tired of the question coming from someone who really isn’t asking or tired of saying “fine” when things are so not okay, this is a perfect venue to hop on and enjoy.
2. Recovery Unscripted
Substance abuse is a problem because it touches just about every human being in the United States, either personally or through someone they love. The hardest part of it is that there’s no one path to sobriety that works in every situation for every person. Sobriety, I hate to say it, is a hit or miss proposition for many. Recovery Unscripted, hosted by David Condos, brings a new and less oppressive perspective of mental health recovery from addiction. The podcast is backed by the Foundations Recovery Network.
And it’s mission is to share the stories of those who have found their own way to recovery. Each cast features some influential guest, speaking about their recovery experience. It is an unabashed forum where people talk openly and honestly about their struggles with staying sober. And if you want to join in, you totally can. For anyone who is either struggling loving an addict, or an addict themselves, the stories are not only inspirational; they might help discover a new path your own personal sobriety.
3. Not Another Anxiety Show
Anyone who has ever lived with anxiety or panic attacks will tell you that it is not a comfortable existence. When someone tells someone with anxiety not to worry, they worry about worrying. Anxiety is one of the hardest things to overcome. The Not Another Anxiety Show gives anxiety sufferers resources to overcome the everyday habits keeping them stuck.
The host, Kelli Walker, is a certified health and wellness coach and a registered nurse. She provides listeners real techniques to overcome their issues of anxiety. Some of the many tools include education, motivation, relaxation, and deep breathing. Kelli is not just someone who talks the talk; she has walked the walk.
Being a former agoraphobe, she understands what it is like to live a life that is guided by a secret that you hold inside. It is a podcast that helps give you courage, real-life advice, and the support to know that everyone experiences anxiety at some point. It is what you do with those anxious feelings that help to set the tone of your well being.
4. Tiny Leaps, Big Changes
Sometimes the reason we find it so hard to change ineffective behaviors is that doing so can feel overwhelming. But often, the problem is that instead of seeing the steps to improve, we only see the mountain to get there. Everything that we do in life has a ripple effect. And it doesn’t take a whole lot to change things in your wake.
The smallest alteration can sometimes have a profound effect and impact your well being in an amazingly shocking way. The Tiny Leaps, Big Changes podcast presents actions and steps that are simple and realistic. And although they might not seem like they will amount to much, you will be shocked at how little it really takes to create real positive change that lasts.
5. Mentally Yours
The human mind is truly a fascinating thing. When you think about all the bizarre and weird thoughts that have come to your own mind, you will be comforted to know that you are not alone. We all have those off the wall thoughts, some pathological, and some not so much. The hosts of Mentally Yours, Ellen Scott, and Yvette Caster talk to a different mystery guest about their experience with strange thoughts.
And they discuss how those thoughts led to a diagnosis of a mental health condition. If you are someone who might be wondering if your unusual thought process might be a sign of something greater, this podcast can open your mind to all sorts of potentials. And at very least, it gives you some solace knowing that even sometimes the abnormal is normal. It is definitely one of the best mental health podcasts to help you sort through the health of your thoughts.
6. Mental Illness Happy Hour
One of the biggest problems with mental health is that it is difficult to find the humor in it. But in times of depression, addiction, and childhood trauma, sometimes the only way to survive is through the use of finding the funny in the most unfunny subjects. The host comedian Paul Gilmartin focuses on things that are not supposed to be funny and makes them much less taboo by finding a way to talk about them less seriously.
Finding humor is the best way to make it through any struggle. But we are all conditioned not to laugh at the very things that need laughter the most. Mental Illness Happy Hour is a great podcast to listen to if you are feeling overwhelmed and oppressed by some mental hardship that is keeping you grave.
7. The Anxiety Slayer
If you have ever had anxiety, you can understand that it can feel like you require superpowers to overcome the continual churn that goes on in your head. The Anxiety Slayer is full of tricks and tools that will help you reduce the anxiety that is eating you up. Shann Vander Leek and Ananga Sivyer, who are both anxiety coaches and have made a living out of helping people live a more anxiety-free life, host the show. And they are helping millions of people around the globe live much less tumultuously.
8. TherapyLab
Sheri Jacobson is an award-winning psychotherapist who has, herself, struggled with mental illness. TherapyLab is a podcast that is both informative and inspirational. Jacobson shares the experiences and stories of authors, photographers, and musicians in a therapy-like setting. If you are someone who is considering trying therapy or wants a glimpse of what goes on, on the couch, this is an excellent podcast to get your “therapy” feel wet! Sometimes it is nice to hear the struggles of other people’s lives to know that you are not in it alone!
9. Happy Place
The Happy Place is one of the best mental health podcasts that aim to bring happiness and simplicity to listeners by using conversations with people who have somehow found themselves in the limelight. As anyone who has ever been can attest to, it is difficult to have everyone taking you apart and judging you without really knowing who or what you are.
The Happy Place podcast guests use their experiences of dealing with things like depression, motherhood, and body positivity to show people that even those who appear to have it together, don’t. And also that, to find a happy you, you have to stop worrying about what everyone else wants you to do and be, and worry more about what you really are.
10. The Hilarious World of Depression
When you say the word depression, no one thinks about humor or hilariousness, besides John Moe, the host of this podcast. Moe talks to celebrities who have battled depression. And he has candid conversations with them about how they deal with anxiety and depression, how it has changed their lives, and what types of things have helped them.
Depression is something that is stigmatized, and it tends to make people very uncomfortable to talk about. The Hilarious World of Depression attempts to bring it out into the open in a nonconfrontational way. And to make it more acceptable to both talk about, and most importantly, laugh about.
If you are dealing with the day to day hurdles of maintaining mental well being, you are not alone. But sometimes it can feel that way. When you have a moment, stick on your earphones and listen to one of these top ten mental health podcasts. They are breaking stigmas, tearing through barriers, and helping to make it okay not to be okay.
