So, it’s 2022! As we settle into the New Year, it is important to recognise the past few years we have had and set wellbeing and health as a priority. For university students, I am sure you may be feeling anxious for the term to come, much like myself and my peers. One in four adults experience a mental health problem in their life and as well as this, the British Psychological Society states that “one third of students have experienced a serious psychological issue which required professional help.” Something I have found calming over the past few years are mental health and wellbeing podcasts. As someone with a pre-existing long term mental illness, I preface my recommendations by saying that mental health should not be taken lightly, and I am not saying that a podcast will miraculously solve any potential problems you may be going through. What I will say, though, is that at certain points in my life these podcasts have provided ease of the mind, relatability and sometimes as a means of healthy distraction from other parts of life. I find this sort of outlet beneficial to the anxious brain, and I truly hope at least one of you finds solace in these!
Owning it: the anxiety podcast with caroline foran
Something I like about this podcast is its flexibility in terms of who is listening. For those with a good grasp on their mental illness, I find Caroline and her guests a great way to learn of shared experiences and feel that togetherness that I mentioned prior. For example, her episode “Trauma: Anxiety After the Storm” with Simone Gannon. This podcast also has great episodes for those new to a variety of mental health experiences, as she challenges and teaches about certain behaviours. Good examples of this in ‘Owning It’ are episodes such as “how to make catastrophic thinking work in your favour” and “why are we anxious when we can’t control things?”
MEntal – the podcast to destigmatise mental health
If you are looking for a mental health podcast that is insanely informative, this is the one for you. I have never seen such a breadth of discussion as Bobby Temps and co-host Danielle Hogan explore in their conversations. The way the podcast is structured is simple; every Thursday, they look into a factor or condition that influences the mind and how to better manage it. As a listener myself, I found solace in hearing others vocalise conversations I have had with friends about perhaps more niche notions of mental health. The following are some examples of episode topics; therapy, grief and depression, covid PTSD, time pressure, sexuality, disassociation, racism and sexism, BPD, bipolar, and more.
You, me, Empathy: Sharing our mental health stories
You, Me, Empathy is the official podcast of mental health community ‘The Feely Human Collective.’ Host Nōn Wells holds a strong sense of togetherness, trust, and the shared human experience in this podcast. There is a true emphasis on mental health and illness as something every individual goes through to some capacity. With this in mind, the atmosphere of the podcast is so relaxed, and Nōn and his guests do a great job of integrating humour into conversations that do not usually get to be funny. Like Mental, this podcast discusses niche topics. As a male host, I particularly appreciate the inclusivity of concerns of mental health that only women go through, bringing in guests with knowledge in those subjects. A good example of this is episode 186, entitled “External Validation, Women and Anger.”
Sleep with me
Finally, a podcast about sleep! As someone with insomnia, I have tried SO MANY podcasts, videos and sounds to try and get me some proper sleep. Nothing has worked for me until this podcast. Their bio on spotify says it all- ‘tune in for a bedtime story that lets you forget you problems and progressively gets more boring until you fall to sleep.’ It gets a little big of getting used to, at least for me, but I have multiple friends who use this podcast when they are restless with exams/ deadlines. I’d recommend checking it out- there are so many episodes to choose from!