Publications
Partners
Our mental and emotional health have taken a knock over the past two-and-a-half years. The social isolation, financial strain, loneliness, bereavement and stress of the pandemic have resulted in more and more people struggling with anxiety and depression.
If you want to improve your psychological wellbeing and are looking for advice, tips or a new perspective, there are some great podcasts you can try. You can listen whenever you want and best of all, they’re free!
There are loads on offer, but here’s a selection of some popular ones that can help you make sense of your feelings, offer strategies to cope better and help you feel less alone.
ANXIETY SLAYER
With close to 600 episodes, this highly acclaimed podcast is a great resource for anyone suffering from anxiety, panic attacks, stress and PTSD.
“Our intention is to support and empower anyone whose life is overshadowed by stress or anxiety,” say hosts Shann Vander Leek and Ananga Silver on their website.
The podcast consists of expert interviews with a focus on practical strategies to feel calmer and more in control of your body and mind. There are also guided meditations.
Episodes worth a listen: How to Slay Your Unwanted Thoughts, 5 Anxiety Triggers to Watch Out For and How to Calm Anxiety and Get to Sleep.
CONVERSATIONS WITH ANNALISA BARBIERI
“Learn more about yourself and the people around you” is the aim of this podcast. Hosted by journalist and agony aunt Annalisa Barbieri, it was started because she couldn’t fit all the useful information she acquired in her interviews into the articles she wrote.
Her conversations with trusted experts are now specially recorded for the podcast and Annalisa tries to distil what they’ve learnt over a lifetime into an episode. She doesn’t discuss particular people’s problems but rather subjects she finds interesting.
READ MORE| Six simple ways to boost your energy and feel on top of the world
Episodes worth a listen: The Art of Listening, The Importance of Knowing and Keeping Boundaries and What to Expect when Someone Dies.
TERRIBLE, (THANKS FOR ASKING)
We all do it: someone asks, “How are you?” and we say, “Fine, thanks.” Even if you’re not really fine and are dealing with a lot or are possibly even feeling really terrible and like you’re on the verge of a breakdown, you just push it aside, say you’re okay and carry on. This podcast is the opposite of that.
Host Nora McInerny talks to real people and asks them to share their honest and complicated feelings about who they are and what’s going on in their lives.
Episodes worth a listen: From the Edge (about feeling like you’re on the brink of an emotional meltdown), Tell Me About Them (about losing someone you love), Untying Knots (about complicated parental relationships) and Fairplay at Home (about the pressures of managing a household, a family and a job).
GRIEFCAST WITH CARIAD LLOYD
Host Cariad Lloyd hopes to help those who are grieving to feel less alone. Her goal with this podcast was that “when it stopped, you didn’t feel worse”.
The British comedienne and actress, whose father died of cancer when she was 15, talks to guests – many of them fellow well-known Brits – about the unique weirdness of the time after someone passes. “We’re all in this club that no one asked to join,” she says. “Part of grief is feeling quite isolated, so when you realise, ‘Oh, it’s not just me’ it does help.”
Episodes worth a listen: Author Marian Keyes, actor Greg Wise and comedian Alan Davies.
