We’re hearing more conversations on mental health around us. More than what we’ve seen before and that’s an amazing growth we’ve had as a society. But we still have a long way to go.
It will take some time for mental health to be normalized by the different generations of people around us.
With the global COVID-19 pandemic hitting its one-year mark, it is evident that global stress has increased.
We’ve spent more than a year now living inside the walls of our homes. And as a result, people have almost zero personal space left for themselves.
There’s nothing wrong with spending time with your loved ones, your family, more than before. But everyone needs their space to breathe and care for themselves as an individual too.
The pandemic has made us worry 24×7 about the safety of the people we love and umpteen other things. Making it through the day with a positive outlook seems like a task too big to achieve.
About a week ago, I listened to my first podcast. And then a few more, a few more, to the point where listening to a podcast before sleeping is a part of my regime.
I am listing down the episodes of some podcasts, not podcasts as a whole, which I found useful for myself. And if you’re in somewhat the same situation as me, you’d like them too.
I have a very picky personality. If the voice is too peppy and has a fake energetic vibe to it, I can’t listen to the podcast.
Also, I came across some podcasts in which the initial 5 minutes are just the person promoting their YouTube, Instagram, etc, or a 1-minute intro sequence. I love it when they’re to the point, with no self-promotion.
So, I assure you, for all the episodes that I’m listing below, I’ve listened to them. Hoping they’ll be helpful to you too 🙂
Table Of Contents
Mental Health Podcasts (Episodes) to turn to when you’re not feeling alright
COVIDsomnia: How to Sleep Better During the Pandemic
Podcast: The Savvy Psychologist’s Quick and Dirty Tips for Better Mental Health
The episode is about how the pandemic has decreased the amount and quality of sleep we’re getting in the pandemic. The negative cycle involving less number of social interactions, incorrect coping mechanisms that keep worsening our sleep over time.
Instead of trying to go to sleep at the same time every day, try to wake up at the same time.
Why?
Because you can control when you want to wake up by setting a few alarms but you can’t force yourself to sleep if your body isn’t feeling it.
Although fixing our body clock is a difficult task, it is fixable by making small changes, one step at a time.
Try to wake up at the same time every day, keep yourself active, eat healthily, you’re more likely to feel sleepy at the same time too.
When you really think about it, ideally, the pandemic should be advantageous to your sleep.
In the pre-pandemic world, you had additional errands like dressing up, traveling to your office, packing your bag for the day, etc. Now since you don’t have to do all of those things, you have extra time on your hands which you can utilize positively.
Sleep isn’t something you can chase. The more you chase it, the farther it runs away.
Sleep is simply the end result of the day. Avoid thinking of sleep as an escape or a thing that will make you energetic after you’ve it.
It’s the other way round. If you live to the fullest, are being energetic during the day, doing tasks, you will naturally fall asleep at night.
Headlines – It can be difficult to admit how much the news influences our outlook with Lucy Nichol
Podcast: Mental – The Podcast to Destigmatise Mental Health
This is episode 185 of the podcast titled ‘Mental – The Podcast to Destigmatise Mental Health’.
Bobby Temps along with Lucy Nichol talk about the need of the hour: cutting back on the news we consume each day.
At the beginning of the pandemic, being up-to-date with news gave a sense of relief and satisfaction that things are going to get better.
Fast forward to now, it does more harm than good.
Writers of the articles online are at most times, exaggerating the actual context in the headline to get more views, jumping to easy conclusions without bearing in mind all of the possibilities, etc.
There’s a mutual feeling that we all share. The feeling of being exhausted the entire day, losing the will to enjoy a day at times, depressed and stressed.
Just because the feeling is mutual, it does not mean that its okay or it should not be paid attention to that much.
It’s okay to admit that you need help.
Also Read: 7 Benefits of Reading You Didn’t Know About | GarimaShares
Creativity and Grief w/ Izzy Lee-Poulton
Podcast: When Someone Great Is Gone
This episode is about how your journey of grief can pass through the medium of creativity. It involves conversations about losing a loved one, so this might not be for everyone out there. *sensitive topic alert*
Due to the social media rage, creativity and productivity are often thought of as the same thing. But they are very disparate from each other.
The common slang that says, “If it is not up on Instagram, did it really happen?” is not a healthy ideology.
Grief is subjective. People express it in so many different ways. But it is also an umbrella term for a series of emotions you feel from a loss.
Grief is the last love letter you write someone.
Eating Disorders Awareness Week
Podcast: Mentally Yours
Every one of us has a relationship with food, either a healthy or an unhealthy one.
The episode goes on about how Binge-eating disorder is not talked about much. Commonly, bing-eating is seen as something driven purely by emotions.
For instance, eating a whole packet of chocolates at once, finishing off a tub of ice cream, etc.
It has been seen that 75% of the people who have an eating disorder have an underlying mental health issue which in most cases, is depression. It is not driven by emotions.
You can’t measure someone’s distress by their physical appearance or their physical weight.
Dr. Gabriel Sirkman: Men and Mental Health
Podcast: elated: A Mental Health Podcast
It is almost a universal fact now that men aren’t encouraged to share their feelings as openly as women.
In this episode, Dr. Gabriel Sirkman says that whether he is interviewing boys of the age 12 or of 30-40, they mostly talk about the feeling of anger.
This anger is always an underlying feeling of the real emotion.
It talks about how women can contribute to changing this scenario and helping men being more open about how they’re feeling.
From an early age, boys should be given a safe space to be vocal about their emotions without being judged or joked about.
For the boys/men who are older and have developed habits, it gets tougher to get them to open up.
If you want to help a loved one, it should come from a place of empathy. The secret is to make it sound about you, how you want them to be in a better place, and not them having trouble with their mental health.
Because that can make them feel belittled.
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