Self-Help Podcasts to Help You Get Through Everything from Daily Stress to Tough Times

ife is busy, and we may sometimes forget to take care of ourselves. But our overall health and mental well-being are one of the most important, if not the most important, things that we all need to get better at prioritizing. What better way to get self-help in our busy everyday lives than to listen to self-help podcasts? 

Pick and choose what you need help with and listen during your time on the go. As you continue reading, you will learn more about what self-help podcasts are as well as why self-help podcasts are so beneficial. You will also read more about some of the self-help podcasts out there and how to decide which podcast is best for you.

What are self-help podcasts?

And why do people turn to them?

In an earlier post, you learned about why it is essential to take time to invest in yourself, and one of the ideas talked about was listening to podcasts. Now when most people think of podcasts, they think of older individuals around their mid-forties to their mid-fifties sharing their life stories. This was initially my thought process, too, when I was first told by a family member that I should try listening to one. 

Well, it turns out podcasts can be on a variety of topics ranging from individuals talking about their lives to crime podcasts, or even just ASMR noises. The point is that there are a number of podcast genres that all serve different purposes and fulfill the listener's needs.

Now, what are self-help podcasts? The short and simple answer would be that they are podcasts made by individuals to give others advice on improving their lives and overall emotional, mental, and physical well-being. There is no definition of self-help podcasts, nor is there just one type. After all, self-help is one of the broadest categories in life.

Why are self-help podcasts beneficial?

Reasons to listen to them.

If you have gotten to this point, you must have some interest in learning more about what is so great about self-help podcasts, or you may be someone who is curious about why people spend time listening to them. It's not uncommon to question why you should bother listening to these podcasts, but after giving it some time, you may realize that they aren’t too bad to listen to, especially if you find a podcast speaker you like.

Now let’s get into why listening to self-help podcasts can be beneficial for you and other individuals. A couple of the reasons why they are healthy for listeners is because the podcasts not only advise you on ways to get through tough times, but also how to better your life. They also help individuals feel less alone. That's perhaps one of the crazy things about life. If you think about it, you can be surrounded by people yet feel so alone. Maybe this is something that crosses individuals' minds when listening to these podcasts.

‘Now wait, there must be something wrong with me if I am listening to self-help podcasts.’ If this is a thought crossing your mind, take a moment and breathe. Just because you are listening or deciding to listen to a self-help podcast doesn’t mean that there is or has to be anything wrong with you. Self-help podcasts, similar to stories shared via TEDx on Youtube, allow individuals to look for help or advice about particular aspects of their lives. They are meant to help point you in the right direction or, at the very least, advise you on what your next steps should be. All in all you shouldn’t feel ashamed for listening to self-help podcasts.

Choosing the right podcast for you.

What are some of the most common types of self-help podcast and how to choose one that works for you

Like so many other media platforms out there, there are so many different self-help podcasts out there, where do you even begin? This is the first question that you should ask yourself. As mentioned before, there are so many different self-help podcasts out there that you have to determine what it is that you want help with before you can even begin listening to a podcast. Some of the things individuals may look for in self-help podcasts include but aren’t limited to, how to get over procrastinating, different ways to motivate yourself into doing an activity or accomplishing a goal that you have wanted to accomplish for a while, just to name a few.

After determining what it is that you are looking for help in, as you can probably imagine your next step would be to look up podcasts for that particular topic. When you do this you should be prepared for a number of results to pop up, in fact, so many may pop up that it may be a bit overwhelming at first sight. So how do you determine which one showing best fits your needs? 

Well, there are a couple of things you can do. The first thing you can do is read the summary or description provided for the podcast. When you do this you can get more of a feel of what the podcast may be about. The second thing you could do is listen to the first few minutes of a few to determine if there is one in particular that piques your interest or a speaker whose voice you wouldn’t mind listening to. And a third thing you could do is read any reviews or comments left by previous listeners to see what they have to say and to see if their thoughts encourage you to want to hear what the individual in the podcast has to say.

Now that you have some ideas on how to find a podcast that works best for you, here are some of our favorite picks:

1) The Joy of Procrastination 

Procrastination tends to be seen as a negative habit to have in regards to getting things done in life. As we all know it is easy to fall into the trap of procrastination, especially when it comes to projects and chores we may not want to do. In this particular podcast hosted by Jackson and Dan Sullivan listeners will learn how although they may be procrastinators when it comes to particular aspects of their lives this doesn’t always have to be looked at in a negative light. We all have our reasons for why we may procrastinate at times and the Sullivans remind their listeners of this throughout their show.

2) The Hardcore Self Help Podcast with Duff the Psych

Mental health conditions affect more people throughout the US than we tend to realize. The everyday person we see walking down the street may appear to be particularly put together or like they have no particular care in the world, but internally they may be battling their own demons, whether it's anxiety, depression, an eating disorder, PTSD, etc. 

There are too many conditions out there to name. Society puts such a negative stigma on mental health conditions that many people tend to go untreated or go without asking for help. In this podcast hosted by Dr. Robert Duff, he not only shares his own personal experience with living and treating mental health conditions but he also educates his listeners in a way that everyday people who aren’t in the medical field can follow along with what he is talking about and gain a better understanding on the different mental health conditions they or their loved ones may be living with.

3) The Habit Coach

If you are anything like most people you have made New Year’s resolutions or goals throughout your life saying that you will go to the gym three times a week or stop eating sweets. Now you may have been able to do this with no problem at least for a couple of days but then you either became too tired to go or just had to have that free cookie is offered to you. If you haven’t had any problems starting new habits, congratulations. However, if you are the person who I described above with the gym and cookie don’t be ashamed you aren’t alone. Starting a new habit and sticking to it can be hard to do and you may need that little push of encouragement. That's where this podcast comes in. The Habit Coach hosted by Ashdin Doctor covers common topics such as nutrition and health to name a couple. The point of each of the episodes is to provide individuals with tips as well as motivation to work on creating new habits. There’s a bonus if you aren’t someone who wants to sit for long periods of time listening to podcasts is that the length of a number of these podcasts is ten minutes or less.

4)The Chasing Joy podcast

Life is hectic and it is easy to lose track of the things that we once held dear to us. In this podcast, Georgie Morley reminds people by sharing her own struggles she has faced in life reminds us of how no matter how dire life may seem at the moment to us, there is always joy and hope around every corner. You just have to be patient and willing to work through the challenges aimed your way. What makes her podcast particularly unique is that each week no matter what she helps her listeners to examine their own spirituality and leave having a more positive take on their lives and the journey that they are on.

5) The Sober Guy Podcast

Now before getting too far into talking about this subject you should keep in mind that you don’t necessarily need to be an alcoholic or drug addict to be considered struggling with addiction. Although these may be two common addictions there are a number of others out there. Through this podcast, Shane Ramer shares his own journey of struggling with alcoholism as well as his recovery journey. His podcast is great to listen to no matter what actor you may be in the scene in your life. If you're the one struggling with addiction his podcast can give you hope and show that recovery despite being hard is possible. And if you are someone trying to help a person in your life who is struggling with addiction, his podcast will give you more insight into recovery as well as advise you on how to support your friend or loved one.

These are just a few of the many self-help podcasts there are out there. If you are looking for a way to get help without going to talk to someone, you should consider checking out a self-help podcast or two to see what you think. We would love to hear what your favorite self-help podcast is in the comments!