5 Hand-Picked Episodes from the Best Mental Health Podcasts
by: Nikki Garcia
A study conducted by UC Berkeley concluded that listening to podcasts may stimulate multiple parts of your brain, such as endorphins or mental imagery.
For the month of May (Mental Health Awareness Month), I would like to share podcasts related to mental health. These podcasts share outstanding ways to learn more about relatable and common issues. They might even make you feel better about yourself, because mental health isn’t something to be ashamed of!
1. “Psychology Tools for COVID Times” on The Positive Psychology Podcast with Kristen Truempy (The Positive Psychology Podcast - Bringing the Science of Happiness to your Earbuds with Kristen Truempy: 119 - Psychology Tools for COVID Times - The Positive Psychology Podcast on Apple Podcasts)
The host, Kristen Truempy is a Mindful Optimist podcaster with a Master’s degree in applied positive psychology. In this episode, she shares ways to navigate through the crisis of mental health whilst, “accounting both for the hard and the positive.” Truempy looks over the common ways anxiety and depression can take over your brain and guides listeners to replace it with healthy motives.
2. “Movies That Get Depression Right” on The Hilarious World of Depression with John Moe (The Hilarious World of Depression: Movies That Get Depression Right on Apple Podcasts
Movies easily contribute to the mental illness stigma by inaccurately portraying clinical disorders. Hosted by John Moe, “Movies That Get Depression Right” features individuals from all over the world with depression who share films that successfully portray clinical depression. Moe brings humor to the topic of depression while also fighting the stigma against clinical depression.
3. “6 Habits That Are Preventing Your Happiness” on Self CARE IRL with Ty Alexander (Self Care IRL: 21. 6 Habits That Are Preventing Your Happiness on Apple Podcasts)
People talk about how one can find happiness, but do they ever talk about the habits that prevent happiness? Ty Alexander, a wellness blogger ‘hype girl’, shares hidden habits that listeners may be doing every day, making it unlikely for one to find happiness.
4. “The Healing Powers of Gratitude and Joy, featuring Kristen Bell” on Checking In with Zahra Barnes (Checking In: The Healing Powers of Gratitude and Joy, featuring Kristen Bell on Apple Podcasts)
“How can we help ourselves feel better when the world is basically a dumpster fire?” In this episode, Zahra Barnes consults Mariel Buqué, Ph.D, a licensed psychologist, who offers tips for incorporating gratitude and joy into your life so listeners feel better. Not the invalidate kind of gratitude, positive gratitude. Barnes also consults Kristen Bell, an American actress and mental health advocate. Since the past year has affected the mental health of many, they discuss how to deal with the overwhelming quarantine world.
Zahra Barnes is an Executive Editor at SELF, where she guides the brand’s editorial direction across all platforms. Her previous positions at SELF include Health Director and Senior Culture Editor.
5. “An Oldie But A Goodie: Do Intrusive Thoughts Mean I’m Going Crazy?” on Not Another Anxiety Show with Kelli Walker (Not Another Anxiety Show: Ep 234. An Oldie But A Goodie: Do Intrusive Thoughts Mean I'm Going Crazy? on Apple Podcasts)
Intrusive thoughts may cause distress, because you worry about your mental health. In this episode, Kelli answers a question from one of their listeners relating to OCD.
Kelli Walker, the host of Not Another Anxiety Show, is a certified health and wellness coach who has dealt with anxiety attacks in the past. She believes with proper knowledge, guidance, support, and readiness that it’s possible for anyone to move through anxiety and panic attacks and toward a place of health and wellness.
