What a novel approach to our mental health but I was intrigued by the recommendation. I like to think that I have been an active participant when it came to battling my own depression and anxiety and I must admit watching a podcast was last on my list but I can see now how valuable of a resource it actually is.

In a sea of information how does one even begin to narrow it down? There is a variety of topics designed to peak your interest while expanding your knowledge base and incorporating creative thought. Podcasts are very similiar to the golden age of radio. Oh how as much as we move forward we are always destined to go back. Now the radio is something I am familar with as I crank out a rock station and clean the house. It never occurred to me in the age of wireless communication I could use my bluetooth to transmit a podcast instead of the radio, now why would I want to do that?

Life gets incredibly overwhelming and its induced by those things that we fail to understand. With something as simple as just actively listening we can increase our knowledge base immensely while preoccupying our mind. What a win! I can learn as I cook, clean or prepare for the day all while exercising my mind! Now that is something I can get behind. The added benefit of actively listening to a coversation through our WiFi lines instead of cable is that we allow our imagination to come alive as they display the topics of conversation in our minds. The benefits of keeping our minds active and alive is believed to combat brain erosion from dementia and alzeheimer’s both diseases impossible to manage and trap you deep inside your mind.

Podcasts can be listened to at anytime from anywhere and they don’t threaten to manipulate your time. When it has come to me learning it never crossed my mind that it could occur while scrubbing the floor. Sometimes it is when our minds our most idle that our deepest thoughts come to surface and threaten our intentions of a great day and take away a mood. Enlightening your mind challenges your brain to think differently allowing you to see the rainbow before the rain. Don’t we owe it to ourselves to live life graciously instead of permenantly corrupting our mind? Dare to live your life a little differently to see just how far in life you can go. Like a hampster on its wheel giving its all and going nowhere, we risk doing the same if we never change our habits and exercise our brains. Stretch the realms of possibilities and see failures as necessary hurdles on the road of success. Hard work pays off in the end even if it’s just a strengthening of character.

There is no such thing as a free lunch unless it comes to podcasts than most of them are free. They range on a variety of topics from health and fitness, wealth, sports, fashion. There is no limits to what we as humans can conversate about and opening your eyes to another humans perspective might be all the healing one person needs. When we lose ourselves in a world where it seems no one cares the right pod cast can remind us just how we are not alone. Listening to another’s point of view and opinion, especially when it mirrors yours, will help you establish your place in the world. Nobody likes to be alone, even worse are those who are surrounded by people and still feel alone, and finding your community can be life saving. A virtual community can provide just as much support (and sometimes more) than those who know us in colour and in the flesh.

Bringing variation into your routine might bring in that mental shake that your mind might be aching for. Even with the ability of downloading hundreds of songs our music library can grow stale, mundane and completly boring. Enter the podcast. Who wouldn’t want to stimulate your mind and therefore enhancing your life. Instead of getting lost in tracks of painful heartbreak and sorrow you can learn about overcoming said heart break and learning about how to bring on a greater tomorrow. That should be our focus. That should always be our goal. Doing what we can to make our lives better and helping those we love make it back home and safe to shore. Life is relentless in it’s torture, it’s up to us to find healthier ways to be. Tools and resources at our fingertips if we just forgive our hearts and our minds and dare to see and feel the thoughts and fears of others.

Committing to 30 days of mental health awareness was an easy desicion. Getting compliments about my positive attitude made me want to work the resources available to us to see in fact if they would be beneficial to someone who is suffering. Depression and anxiety creeps into my day when I least expect it and at the worst time. It interfers with my basic human interactions and friendships and threatens to take away from my day. One unwelcomed panic attack and I will be suffering for hours, not to mention the impact it has on the people I love. I am intrigued on how adding a podcast to my routine might enhance my mental health. With a wide range of topics I hope to add to my human experience by using podcasts as the finishing icing on my cake. Read a book finish it with a podcast. Maybe in the absence of a topic of interest I can create one? If only I can find the time. Opening ones mind and heart to what others are thinking is a surefire way to connect your spirit with others grounding your existence and finding your place in the world. For those of us on the outside looking in we may just find a reason to hold on and begin again.