March Podcast Recommendations!

 Written by Helena Lorenz, M.S.W, LMSW

Licensed Master Social Worker

Hey, y’all! This is the third installment of my ongoing series where I get to share my love of podcasts and mental health awareness!

Periodically, I’ll share 3 episodes from a variety of my favorite shows; sometimes an episode is from a whole series that revolves around psychology or counseling, and sometimes it’s just a one-off mental health-focused episode in a series about something totally different! Either way, my sincere hope is that these stories can provide you with some mix of comfort, validation, enlightenment, and enjoyment.

Happy listening!

Feel free to check out these episodes via the links in the titles or through your favorite podcast app.

1.     “The Science of Great Sex in Longterm Relationships” – Come As You Are

This show is the delightful companion podcast to the bestselling book Come As You Are, a groundbreaking scientific exploration into female sexuality and sexual pleasure. Given her extensive research background, the host, author and professor Dr. Emily Nagoski, has a remarkable talent for breaking down information on human sexuality into digestible and actionable tidbits. In this episode, she tackles one of the biggest questions looming over lasting, monogamous relationships – how do you keep things interesting in the bedroom when you feel like you know every mind-numbing detail about your partner? She methodically breaks down stigmas, expands our restrictive definitions of sexual intimacy, and gives us hope for our future sensual pleasure.

2.     “How to Keep House While Drowning” – Terrible, Thanks for Asking

I cannot describe how much I want/need host Nora McInerny to be my best friend. She has the uncanny ability to turn even the most tragic story into something that anyone can laugh at, empathize with, and find comfort in. In this episode, she interviews therapist KC Davis about her new book, “How to Keep House While Drowning”. In it, she gives compassion and gentle advice for those whose mental health can sometimes get in the way of their ability to maintain a comfortable home (e.g., when your depression makes you feel like washing the dishes is equivalent to running a marathon in a desert). She attempts to debunk our moral righteousness around cleaning and cleanliness and teaches us that our homes can be whatever we want them to be! This was genuinely one of the best podcast episodes I have heard in a minute, and I cannot wait to get my hands on a copy of this book!

3.     “Half-Baked Stories About My Dead Mom” – This American Life

The reporters and storytellers at This American Life have been mastering the art of audio entertainment for literally as long as I have been alive. In this episode, they slightly deviate from their typical multi-story form, and dedicate an entire hour to the musings of Etgar Keret, a notable Israeli author. He tells stories about the powerful and entrancing enigma that was his late mother, and though the podcast is not explicitly about mental health, I really appreciated this episode’s complex view on death and grief (definitely grab tissues for this one). I have seen so many clients who feel this amorphous societal pressure to grieve in a certain way, and who feel like they are betraying the memory of their loved ones if they acknowledge their loved one’s flaws and entertain the complexity of their humanity. There is no one way to remember and honor a loved one, and this episode is a thoughtful, heartbreaking, and hilarious exploration of that principle.

If you’re struggling with your mental health, contact us to see how therapy for adults could help support you.