One relief of dealing with challenges at this point in time is knowing we are not entirely alone. There are many YouTube channels and podcasts for mental health that provides great comfort.
It goes without words that these years have been painful and trying. We all have had our fair share of silent struggles. But when we go find solace on the internet, we discover stories that somehow make us feel like we’re heard and understood. We find comfort in knowing that our battles are not ours alone. That, people out there cares and are attempting to connect and help by giving us a safe space.
Podcasts and Youtube channels for mental and emotional health allow us to learn about depression, anxiety, and other mental health-related challenges. We find our space to feel emotionally vulnerable with a chance to cope, heal, and get better.
I know this because I, myself, look for answers constantly through other people’s stories. I believe there’s beauty and lesson in them. And I’d like you to find answers to your questions as well.
So here are 8 podcasts and channels, in no particular order, that helped—and are still helping me—get through my personal conflicts.
Tedx Talk
TEDx Talk goes all the way back. They’ve had countless inspiring, motivational, and educational content and clips since 1984. So, I won’t be surprised if you’ve seen one of their videos on the internet.
What I love about their channel is they share a wide variety of topics. And these topics are not always the easy ones to speak about. TEDx Talk channel is not limited to sharing success stories alone.
If anything, they tackle serious and difficult subjects, including depression, anxiety, and chronic brain disorders like schizophrenia and more.
Each speaker is of unique perspective, belief, and attitude, which helps us open our eyes to various possibilities. You’ll see celebrities, comedians, therapists, doctors, survivors, and more open up about diverse and deep conversations that we don’t experience every day.
My absolute favorite episode of TEDx Talk is Lizzie Velasquez’s motivational speech about defining yourself. Despite her rare condition, I admire how she thrived through difficulties and achieved everything she wanted in her life. I may have watched it over ten times.
For someone battling social anxiety, I find her speech extremely helpful. When talking with strangers, presenting proposals to my boss, or ordering food from my waiter, my heart just races, and I feel like throwing up every time. Honestly, sometimes I immediately run to the bathroom after a meeting to puke.
But then I watch Lizzie on TEDx Talk; it doesn’t erase my anxiety. But it somehow makes me want to believe in myself—I can rise above my weaknesses as Lizzie did.
Cinema Therapy
Videos from Cinema Therapy are typically short, more or less 30 minutes, but are enough to make a point. The show hosts are Jonathan Decker, a Licensed Therapist, and Alan Seawright, a Filmmaker.
The premise of their show is that they both analyze a film from a therapist and filmmaker’s point of view. They tear a movie open, psychoanalyze the characters and whether the story makes sense or not based on their behaviors. At the same time, explain the technicalities that go into producing the film.
Yes, it’s not your typical mental health advocate channel where you hear people talk about what they went through and how they get past it. But I just respect both these men. They are perfectly capable of expressing their emotions without being threatened about their masculinity. And I guess that’s what made them so relatable and inspiring.
They can make you relate or care about the characters from a movie, no less. Although most of these films are fiction, it still makes you feel deeply towards a character, which I think is wonderful.
Their “Therapist Reacts to INSIDE OUT” and “Therapists Reacts to WandaVision” are must-watch.
Mayim Bialik
Let me just put it out there, I love Mayim Bialik! What’s not to love? She’s intelligent, adorable, honest, talented, and gorgeous. Mayim is one of the few celebrities that I look up to.
She has a Ph.D. in Neuro Science. She’s written books, hosted Jeopardy, and even stole the show in Big Bang Theory. And now she has a podcast series, “Mayim Bialik’s Breakdown, co-hosted by Jonathan Cohen. Although, I prefer watching each episode on her Youtube channel.
What’s great about watching Breakdown is realizing that even celebrities and other well-known people are also human. They also suffer from depression, anxiety, and other mental-health-related battles. Mayim interviews celebrities, writers, therapists, and even her mom to speak about profound topics.
Mayim is so articulate that you can both relate and learn on every episode. She explains the connections of the brain and feelings way too well. And I admire how she puts herself out there, how she’s so honest.
It’s also apparent how she can make her guests feel comfortable talking about personal topics. Case in point, Hayley Williams of Paramore’s interview and David Archuleta’s.
The Psych Show
If you are looking for videos that will help you make choices that ultimately benefit your mental health, you got The Psych Show for that. Dr. Ali Mattu, a clinical psychologist, is hosting the show. That assures you that most of his content is coming from a professional perspective.
Dr. Ali Mattu is good at simplifying stuff that appears to be chaotic for most of us. Emotions and feelings are often confusing and overwhelming, but he explains them in ways that are easy to digest. His words helped me hack through my deranged thoughts.
Aside from providing advice on managing anxiety, he also shines a light on some myths about psychology. He gives his professional view on treatments and medication plans, very educational.
With this current pandemic situation, I think we’ll all find these videos very essential, How to cope when the world is canceled: 6 critical skills and How to deal with intrusive thoughts and anxiety.
The Anxiety Guy
The next channel I want to highlight on my list is The Anxiety Guy. I like this Youtube channel because, for some reason, it gives me a sense of peace. Probably because of the way Dennis Simsek is so calming and reassuring. And I also think he has a profound understanding of anxiety that is why his sincerity speaks volumes on his every content.
Imagine being on a busy road; everyone has their own thing, minding their business. And while everything is in chaos, there’s Dennis Simsek’s speaking pace relaxing me; it’s like saying to me that everything’s going to be alright. That I almost forgot the disarray stirring in my head. That’s how I literally feel listening to his voice.
It’s like being in a guided meditation where Dennis channels all his positivity to his listeners. He uses all sorts of positive reaffirmations to guide us in a mindful means of overcoming our fears and anxiety. Here are some of his contents you may want to check:
- The FEAR Of Getting Older | Aging Anxiety
- Mindfulness For Fear Of Driving Anxiety Session And Panic Attacks
Watch his anxiety recovery stories too!
The Trauma Therapist Podcast
One of the healthiest podcasts for mental health I’ve come across is The Trauma Therapist. It focuses on fighting against trauma issues and experiences.
Various mental health professionals specializing in trauma management, therapy, and medication appear on the show to weigh in. These leading experts, along with Guy Macpherson, Ph.D. (podcast host), converse about powerful topics regarding trauma, psychology, and more.
The depth of conversation on each topic is highly immersive and influential, especially to listeners currently combatting traumatic episodes.
You can find Trauma Therapist on these channels:
- Google Podcast
- Spotify
- iTunes
Motivation2Study
These days, unemployment is pretty widespread globally. Employees lost their jobs, businesses went bankrupt because of the ongoing aftermath of Covid-19. Situations like these affect our mental health big time.
It leads us to ask ourselves, will we ever get back on our feet? Will we be able to survive? Can we continue supporting our families, or can we, at least, make all ends meet? It’s very exhausting when our enemy is our mind and self.
That’s the reason why I included this channel on my list. I think it’s important that we watch or listen to something that motivates us. Maybe we can find something positive out of this decade’s hurdles. Yes, there will be more obstacles along the way, but it doesn’t mean we can’t get past that.
Motivation2Study can be your daily source of motivation. Find success stories that’ll improve your determination to start over again. As long as we are alive, there’s hope for us to have a better life. We don’t have to be afraid of hard beginnings anymore!
Reshape your mindset. You can start with these stories:
Terrible, Thanks for Asking
Death is a natural part of life. At some point, we all experience grieving out from losing someone that meant the world to us. And, it’s never easy to cope and overcome that kind of pain, especially when we are alone.
There is no easy way out of grief but to feel the loneliness and pain until you grow used to it. Because let’s be honest, we can never fully get over a loved ones’ death. But, we can make peace with our loss, keep living, and move forward.
And I guess it’s helpful that we hear other grieving stories while we mourn. It’s not because we need to compare the severity of each other’s loss but to have hope that at some point, it’ll all get better. That’s the reason why I believe that Terrible, Thanks for asking is a healthy podcast.
The way people are given a space where they can speak about what they truly feel is powerful. Sometimes, we think we need to subdue the ache we carry, at least after our loved ones have been buried. But that’s not always the case.
Sometimes, we need to talk about the pain as long as we need. But we don’t always have a channel that’ll help us express. If you ever feel like no one understands your grieving process, listening to Terrible, Thanks for asking may help.
The podcast is filled with stories about loss, grief, and mourning that teach us to let go of our regret, guilt, and other negative feelings attached to grieving. It’s where hurting people are heard but never judged. Listen to Terrible, Thanks for Asking here:
Conclusion
I’d like to end this article by saying I am rooting for you. Whatever you are going through right now, I hope you find the answers you are looking for. But please remember that these channels and podcasts for mental health are not alternatives or substitute for therapy and medication. If you ever feel like you need professional help, please don’t be afraid to reach out. Cheers to a more emotionally positive and mentally healthier you!
Do you have a personal-favorite podcast or YouTube channel that helped your mental health too? Let us know and share it with everyone on the comment section below! And if you think this content is helpful, please like and share it with your friends.