Before 2022, or even 2023, I barely listened to podcasts. I always thought of them as boring and repetitive, all of them basically saying the same thing over and over and over. You can only imagine my attitude about self-help podcasts.
This was partially brought on by my outlook on life: I had this mindset that I could do everything myself, and I mean everything. Whether it be academic, mental, emotional, I had to do it myself; this, of course, caused a lot of stress for myself adding to my already worsening mental health. However, after removing myself from certain anxiety-inducing situations (cough cough my old friends), and undergoing a LOT of self reflection, I found that I didn’t have to do everything by myself. I could look to other places and people for both support and growth.
Now this doesn’t mean that I suddenly became the best version of myself to ever exist; far from it, in fact. But it allowed me to open up myself to change. Unlike most people, I found that what helped me grow the best wasn’t listening to people already in my life; it was listening to people who didn’t know me at all, and yet understood what I was going through because they were going through it, too. And these people were smart enough to make podcasts.
This was partially brought on by my outlook on life: I had this mindset that I could do everything myself, and I mean everything. Whether it be academic, mental, emotional, I had to do it myself; this, of course, caused a lot of stress for myself adding to my already worsening mental health. However, after removing myself from certain anxiety-inducing situations (cough cough my old friends), and undergoing a LOT of self reflection, I found that I didn’t have to do everything by myself. I could look to other places and people for both support and growth.
Now this doesn’t mean that I suddenly became the best version of myself to ever exist; far from it, in fact. But it allowed me to open up myself to change. Unlike most people, I found that what helped me grow the best wasn’t listening to people already in my life; it was listening to people who didn’t know me at all, and yet understood what I was going through because they were going through it, too. And these people were smart enough to make podcasts.
These podcasts (at least the ones I’m listening to) aren’t preachy or annoying as some might assume. In fact, they feel like conversations between you and the podcaster. I would describe it as being on FaceTime with one of your friends as they are giving you advice on virtually anything. There are a wide range of topics that these shows cover, including, but not limited to, money management, self-love, spirituality, and relationships (with yourself and others).
Overall, podcasts have become an integral part in my healing process and my life. These are some of the podcasts that I listen to:
Overall, podcasts have become an integral part in my healing process and my life. These are some of the podcasts that I listen to: