5 Wellbeing podcasts you need to start listening to
One of the best things to come out of lockdown was my rediscovery of podcasts. Specifically, podcasts that helped me manage my own wellbeing in a time where this was something that took active effort.
There is often a big misunderstanding that wellbeing and mental health are synonymous. But wellbeing is much broader than that. It is about learning how to look after ourselves in a way that enables us to be at our best.
This is why wellbeing looks different for different people. It is about feeling empowered to look after yourself and looking after yourself because you WANT to not because you NEED to.
I found the podcasts below gave me some much needed advice that helped me shape my own approach to supporting my wellbeing and wanted to share in hopes that it will encourage you to do the same!
This is by far my most listened to podcast of 2021. Elisabeth is a brilliant interviewer and brings new celebrity guests each week to talk about their failures. The opening line "learning how to fail in life ultimately helps us learn how to succeed better" really hit me as I have always been very open about my fear of failure. As you would expect, every episode is completely different tackling things like failure in love, work, exams, conceiving and everything in between. Just listening to other people talk about failure so openly has really helped me cultivate a much needed empathetic voice in my head.
Guests have included the likes of Brene Brown, Alain de Botton, Malcolm Gladwell, Mo Gawdat and Gloria Steinem. If you only listen to one episode (which I found virtually impossible to narrow down) the episode with Stanley Tucci really spoke to me: S12, Ep6 How to Fail: Stanley Tucci - How To Fail With Elizabeth Day | Podcast on Spotify
Given that this podcast is curated by Malcolm Gladwell, Adam Grant, Susan Cain and Daniel Pink, it might be immediately obvious that the content of this podcast will offer a challenge to the way you think. But what does this have to do with wellbeing?
Like I mentioned at the start, wellbeing isn't just about surviving, it is about learning how to thrive! For me, hearing snippets of different ideas and understanding how authors of different books on business, science, health and culture came to their thinking helps me challenge both the way I work and the way I live. And this in turn helps me find new ways to thrive.
The podcast covers topics ranging from persuasion and how to find joy to becoming indistractable and having more productive conflict. If you only listen to one episode, I found the episode on The Joy of Being an Amateur helped me let go of some of my own internal pressure to do things with the objective of perfection and move towards doing them just for fun (apologies to anyone who tried failed baking experiments in the process): BEGINNERS: The Joys of Being an Amateur - The Next Big Idea | Podcast on Spotify
I don't think I need to go into too much detail about the power meditation has to transform the way we think and its ability to rewire our brain. Yet for years, I actively avoided it because I told myself that I am one of those people who just can't meditate. But there is a reason why people say they "practice meditation." It is not a skill that comes about overnight, nor is it something that comes naturally to people. The reason you are "bad at meditation" is because you haven't practiced.
领英推荐
But the question is, where do you start? For me, going into an hour long meditation class felt awkward and intimidating so I found these guided meditations incredibly helpful.
Meditations range in length from 30 minutes to 5 minutes (which are the best starting point if you are new to this) and can be focused on anything from Relaxation, Imposter Syndrome and Joy. If you start with one episode, I would suggest the 5 minute Gratitude Meditation given the scientifically proven link between gratitude and wellbeing: 5 Minute Gratitude Meditation - Mindful In Minutes Meditation | Podcast on Spotify
The podcast is described as a guide on how to navigate the manic, always-on, and head-melting world we live in so the link with wellbeing is fairly obvious.
The podcast features authors of wellbeing novels as well as psychotherapists who talk through different psychological perspectives that help you unpick what might be going on for you. For me, this understanding was crucial not only in cultivating a more curious (as opposed to judgmental) approach to my own mental health but also in helping me feel less alone.
Your first listen will probably be unique to you but it is worth scanning through the list to find any topics you feel you might benefit from gaining a more detailed insight on as well as tools that will help you cope. For me, the first listen undeniably has to be the one on Compassion with Kristin Neff who is a leading author on compassion theory: A Compassionate Mess With Kristin Neff
From Caroline Foran, the author of the best-selling book by the same title, this podcast is dedicated to anxiety as the name might suggest. This was the podcast that started it all for me. I have had anxiety since my early teens and like most, the early parts of my journey made me feel very alone.
The podcast covers everything from tips on how to get through a panic attack, conversations with people who have anxiety and how they cope to deep dives on the source of anxiety and unpicking the irrational thoughts that often plague anxious minds. I found listening to this made me realise that I am not the only one in this position and other people's stories helped me find the tools that worked best for me.
If you listen to just one episode, I would suggest the one where Caroline invites a neuroscientist to explain exactly what happens in our brains when we experience anxiety because, at least for me, understanding the exact mechanism that triggers my anxiety, makes it all seem much less scary: Your anxiety perfectly explained by a Neuroscientist - Owning It: The Anxiety Podcast | Podcast on Spotify
Conclusion
Taking an active approach towards managing our wellbeing should not be seen as something we do when we have free time. It should be seen as absolutely essential to our day-to-day. There are loads of books, TV shows and podcasts on the topic and I would love to hear from you in the comments if you have found any that particularly resonated as I am always looking to add to my list. But I am hoping if you are just beginning your wellbeing journey the above will give you some pointers on where to start.
Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Specialist | Content Writer | Communications Specialist (on maternity)
2 年Such a good list! I thank you so much for turning me on to Elizabeth Day, it really helped me get through all the lockdowns and rough patches at work. Keep on sharing!! ??