The information that you absorb by reading or listening affects your health immensely. Everything you read or hear will either negatively or positively have an impact on your body, mind, and soul. By moderating the input you are letting into your five senses, you can improve your physical, mental, and emotional health. I go further into detail about this in my article on using the five senses for your mental health.
This article is going to focus on the power of positive content; the stuff you read and listen to. Content can include things like books, websites, magazines, newspapers, podcasts, social media posts, images, videos, etc. In this article, I will focus on specifically podcasts and YouTube channels, since they are easy to consume without taking up any of your precious free time.
Audio/Podcast version:
If you consume a lot of negative content, you may find yourself anxious frequently. You will worry about unknown situations and fret over your health, your relationships, your finances and other things. You may become irritable and think negative thoughts constantly. Even scarier, you might not even notice these things; it might just become so normal that you think this is okay. It is not okay!
But the good news is that you can flip the script. You can do this by consuming positive content throughout your day. When you focus on the positive, you’ll experience less anxiety. You’ll find it easier to face setbacks and other difficult life circumstances. You’ll stop thinking about the worst and begin imagining positive outcomes. You’ll be less prone to worry about your health or your relationships.
Podcasts are a great way to include more positive content in your life. There are an abundance of uplifting and encouraging podcasts out there to choose from. Podcasts are audio shows distributed online, and you can listen on iTunes, Spotify, and many other places. New episodes are usually released every week or month. YouTube channels also regularly publish a new video every week or so. Here are a few benefits of listening to positive podcasts and YouTube videos.
Table of Contents
Experience More Peace
Negative content creates a lot of noise in your head. It gives you new things to worry about and new problems to fear. It reminds you of everything that’s going wrong around the globe.
Positive content, on the other hand, gives you hope and leaves you feeling like the world isn’t a horrible place. It encourages and builds you up. You can learn new things to help improve your life. The result is that you finish positive content feeling refreshed, peaceful, and armed with new knowledge to transform your life.
Discover New Ways to Grow
Positive content can challenge you to better yourself. It can give you inspiration and insight for pursuing self development projects.
For example, if you want to break the habit of emotional eating, then a podcast on the topic of mindfulness can be a great source of encouragement. You’ll get regular tips and advice on how to tune into your body and your emotions.
Become a Creative Problem-Solver
When you’re listening to uplifting podcasts that feature a guest or host who has overcome a personal struggle, it’s not just encouraging. It also allows you to see new solutions to your own problems.
When you learn about what difficult situations other people had to overcome, you can be inspired. You’ll look at your own challenges in a different light, helping you to become a creative problem solver.
Absorbing positive content is one of the best things you can do for yourself. Not only can it spur on your personal development, but you’ll also find positive content can bring more joy into your everyday life.
Finding Time For Positive Content
If you’re like most people, you probably feel a bit overwhelmed by your to-do list each day. You have so many responsibilities, projects, and tasks on your plate. So, how are you going to find time to add positive content into your life? That’s the beauty about audio; you can absorb the information while doing other things that don’t require your mindful attention.
Listen While You Go About Your Daily Routine
Most people have morning routines that keep their hands busy but not necessarily their minds. For example, your morning may consist of a beauty routine that involves makeup, hair care, and other activities. Instead of just letting this time slip by, play an episode of a podcast or a video. I utilize my time in the bathroom by bringing my laptop, phone, or mp3 player in there with me and playing podcasts and YouTube videos.
Listen at the Gym
Try swapping out your music at the gym for a podcast. But pick one that you find matches your workout speed. If you prefer a slower, longer workout then a podcast that’s soothing might be a good match. If you prefer intense workouts, choose a show that you find inspiring and that leaves you feeling motivated.
Listen While Relaxing
Do you have a hobby that helps you relax? Maybe you love to knit, or you spend each evening with your adult coloring books. It’s easier to absorb a message when your hands are busy, so these are the perfect times to tune in.
Listen While Doing Chores
Play a podcast while you do your usual chores. It’s a simple way to make boring chores go quickly and use that time to focus on your personal development. You can listen while you are doing dishes, mowing the lawn, or mopping the floors. I used to hate doing dishes, now I look forward to it because the time flies by so fast while listening to something that takes my mind off what I am doing.
Listen in the Car
Another way to enjoy your favorite podcasts is to listen while you are commuting. It doesn’t matter if you drive to work or take the subway. Use your travel time to fill your mind with a positive podcast. I have an hour round-trip drive to visit my family and friends, so listening to positive content in the car is a must-have for me. I love my music, but when I am behind on podcasts, I can get a few of them knocked out in one day by listening to them while I’m driving long distances.
Listen Before Sleep
If you have trouble going to sleep because of a busy mind, you can try listening to a podcast before bed. Look for a host whose voice and content helps you to relax.
Applying The Information Into Your Life
Listening to podcasts regularly is a great way to begin your journey of self development. But if all you do is listen and you don’t do anything with the content, you’re not likely to experience any significant change. That’s because you have to take action if you want to become the best version of you. I talk about this a lot with all the information I share, and it’s the reason I started creating checklists, planners, and journals. Alone, the information is just entertaining and educational. If you put it into action, it becomes transformational.
Take Notes
Sometimes, a host or guest on a podcast will make a statement that resonates with you. When that happens, don’t try to keep listening. Pause the episode and ponder what was shared. Ask yourself, “Why is this resonating with me? What does this statement make me want to do?” Take as many notes as you need to. I have a whole notebook just for notes so I can write down the gold nuggets of information and remember them.
Take Action
When you’re listening to a podcast, consider how you can implement what you’re hearing. For example, the host of a relationship podcast says that the most important ingredient for a successful marriage is regular communication
So, make it a note to stop and check in with your spouse today. Go beyond the usual “how was work” to ask a thought-provoking question or thank your partner for all they’ve done for you.
Keep in mind that depending on the episode and what you’re doing, you may have a lot of notes or you may have only a few. Don’t worry if that’s the case. You’re just looking to capture the best gems from a show. The key is to write everything down that you want to remember and add these action steps into your planner. Journal about what you learned. Make it real and really solidify the information into your head and your life.
Positive Content Recommendations
I’ll start this section with YouTube channels that I love and recommend. I am subscribed to over 200 YouTube channels, so narrowing them down to just 5 or 10 right away would be pretty impossible. But I recently started a series of videos on my YouTube channel where eventually I will give you all of the YouTube channels that I love, three at a time! I only have one video out so far but by the time you read this, there could be more! Here is the first one:
When it comes to podcast recommendations, my list will be a little shorter since podcasts haven’t been around as long, and I do spend more time with YouTube (to stay caught up on all 200 of them!) But here are my recommended podcasts, including mine which I have to share in case you weren’t aware of it yet!
Holistic Lifestyle Guide Podcast Creating a holistic lifestyle where your body, mind, and soul are in alignment with nature. Just started in May 2021 so stay tuned for more episodes!
Highest Self Podcast (by Sahara Rose, one of my favorites!) The #1 spirituality podcast in the world!
Expanded Podcast A great podcast about manifestation.
Hearts Rise Up Podcast Insights on self-discovery, expanded awareness, and self-mastery.
Trading Raw Stories Podcast Holistic health coach, “the female Tony Robbins”
The Holistic Nutritionists Podcast Practical tips on holistic health care.
Holistic Health Masterclass Functional medicine and holistic health practitioner.
Tiny Leaps, Big Changes Simple strategies you can implement into your life regarding wellness and personal growth.
The Mindful Kind Top-rated mindfulness podcast.
I’d love to hear your suggestions and recommendations for YouTube channels or podcasts to follow down in the comment section below!
11 Comments
Comments are closed.