Overcome Stress With A Self-care Podcast

Although stress can be healthy in moderation, excessive stress can cause mental and physical health challenges. It may contribute to health conditions and lead to headaches, high blood pressure, and insomnia. 

Regular self-care is one effective way of combating stress. Its benefits may include lower stress levels, improved resilience, improved physical health, improved body image, increased confidence, and improved relationships. Self-care doesn’t only involve physical care of your body. It could also involve listening to podcasts about stress and self-care to hear how others care for their health.

What are the impacts of chronic stress?

Stress can affect every system in your body and may cause headaches, increased blood pressure, insomnia, and lower immunity. It may also increase the risk of substance use disorders, anxiety, depression, and other physical and mental conditions. Despite the impacts of chronic stress, there are several ways you can manage these symptoms to reduce their impact on your overall well-being. 

Regularly practicing self-care is one method of stress reduction. While a self-care day may look different for everyone, a self-care podcast can be a valuable tool for learning healthy coping mechanisms, reducing stress, and improving overall mental health and well-being.

What are the benefits of self-care? 

Self-care may help you maintain a healthy and well-balanced life. It may involve caring for your emotional, mental, social, spiritual, and physical well-being. Research shows that regularly practicing self-care can lower stress and have numerous positive health benefits, potentially empowering you to continue these habits. Below are a few of the other benefits of self-care.  

Less stress

Stress is often a natural part of life, but stress can negatively affect you mentally, physically, and emotionally. Through self-care, you may find healthier habits to better cope with stress. Mindfulness practices are self-care habits that can reduce ruminating thoughts, limit negative thought patterns, and help you feel calmer and more relaxed.

Resilience 

When facing life challenges, it may seem like you get frustrated or feel helpless more often. However, practicing self-care may help you build resilience by cultivating more self-compassion and practical tools to overcome these challenges. Daily self-care can promote a more positive mindset, offering hope for the future. 

Physical health

Self-care may improve your physical health. While exercising or eating a healthy and well-balanced diet are self-care habits that can directly improve your physical health and boost immunity, taking care of your mental health with mindfulness practices such as meditation or journaling may help you overcome stress. Stress can affect your physical health, so reducing stress levels may help you feel physically healthier. Your emotional and physical health are often profoundly connected; when you nurture one, you may better the other. 

Increased confidence

When you care for yourself physically, mentally, and emotionally, you might also feel more confident. Healthy self-esteem and confidence can help you look at mistakes as chances for self-development instead of “total failure.” You may also be more likely to feel confident in other aspects of your life, such as your career, potentially opening you up for new opportunities.

Improved relationships

Regular self-care may improve your relationships. Since self-care and self-improvement can enhance your overall health and well-being, you may be more likely to show up as your best self and foster healthier relationships. You may also become less dependent on others for validation or care as you learn to prioritize yourself and care for your needs on your own. 

Podcasts to try

A podcast may be a helpful resource if you’re interested in self-help or practicing more self-care. While self-care can vary from person to person, a podcast may teach you new ways to apply self-care to your everyday life and effective strategies for overcoming stress. Below are a few of the best self-care podcasts that may be helpful to try.  

Meditation Minis

Studies show that meditation can be an effective self-care practice with many proven benefits for your mental health. Hosted by hypnotherapist Chel Hamilton, Meditation Minis is an award-winning podcast with an extensive catalog of short, guided meditations that may be helpful for those new to meditating or those short on time.

Get Sleepy

Prolonged stress can negatively impact your sleep quality, sometimes making falling or staying asleep difficult. For those who experience sleep issues due to stress, the Get Sleepy podcast may be a valuable resource. Rated the number one sleep podcast, Get Sleepy’s sleep stories can relax your body and calm your mind, allowing you to sleep better and feel more rested for daily responsibilities. 

Getting Better: Stories of Mental Health

The Getting Better podcast by BetterHelp talks about destigmatizing conversations around mental health through professional guidance and personal stories. Hosted by licensed therapists Micheline Maalouf and Nadia Addesi, this podcast has conversations with well-known guests like Ian Somerhalder, Chris Bosh, Meghan Trainor, and others. Some episodes focus on self-care and lifestyle changes that individuals can implement at home.  

This Podcast is Self-Care

Life can sometimes be challenging, causing stress that may negatively affect your health. This Podcast is Self-Care, hosted by comedians Drew Spears and Cait Raft, explores life’s obstacles and how taking time for yourself with a touch of humor can be important. Each episode provides practical self-care tips you can use in everyday life.

Self-Care IRL

Hosted by wellness blogger and bestselling author Ty Alexander, Self-Care IRL is a podcast that explores practical tips for becoming the best version of yourself, potentially inspiring you to find happiness and fulfillment through life’s obstacles. From relationships and personal development to finding your purpose and creating healthier habits, this podcast may be a helpful resource for cultivating a self-care routine. 

Selfie

Hosted by writer and psychotherapist Kristen Howerton, Selfie is a podcast exploring everything related to self-care. Past episodes have included topics like: 

• Avoiding burnout 
• Self-care as a trans individual
• Raising teens
• Coping with substance use
• Redefining “perfect” 

Being Well

Hosted by Rick Hanson and Forrest Hanson, Being Well is a highly-rated podcast that provides expert tips and science-backed strategies on building resilience, overcoming stress and anxiety, improving your overall health through self-care, and living a happier and more fulfilled life in today’s world. 

Happy Place

Hosted by Fearne Scott, the Happy Place podcast explores mental health, well-being, and the daily journey of self-discovery and happiness. Each episode invites a special guest to discuss the highs and lows of life and how to overcome challenges while finding happiness. This podcast can help you learn effective ways to overcome stress, care for yourself, and build resilience through challenging times.

Further support options 

High-stress levels can harm your physical, mental, and emotional health. Finding healthy ways to manage stress and practice self-care can be valuable. However, while a podcast can be a unique tool to help you overcome stress, or cope with your own struggles, it is not a replacement for the support of mental health professionals or therapy. Consider contacting a licensed provider if you’re experiencing high-stress levels or other mental health concerns. 

If you face barriers to finding treatment, such as finances, convenience, or location, you can also try therapy through an online platform like BetterHelp. Online therapy can be a convenient form of therapy, as you can attend therapy from home. In addition, you can choose between phone, video, or live chat sessions. If you’ve heard an interesting concept in a podcast, you can discuss these ideas with your therapist and discuss how they might relate to your self-care needs. 

If you’re feeling reluctant to try internet-based therapy, you’re not alone. It may help to know that recent studies have found online therapy as effective as in-person therapy for many mental health conditions, including depression and anxiety. Online therapy can also treat chronic stress and offer insight into healthy self-care activities.