Podcast Perspectives
Podcasts-everyone knows I love them. I listen to hours of them a day and even have a structure on which genre I listen to when. I have my daily podcasts and my weekly episodes. I also have a mini-series for when I want a deep dive break. I also specifically try to listen to podcasts on topics I wouldn’t usually be interested in and ones that are way out of my comfort zone.
My main genres fall into sports, business, disability, writing, mental health, food, civics and politics,lgbtq+, Judaism in different facets, sexuality, and self-empowerment. And if you wonder how I get through so many topics, it's not every day but I swap out topics usually. I have a running list of usually around 60 episodes in my up next queue, which ties into my feast and famine mental struggle of always needing to have enough food in the fridge and things to listen to.
Different types of podcasts play different roles in where I am mentally and emotionally. When I'm doing well and in a creative and dreaming state about my career, I listen to business and writing podcasts. Sports podcasts most noticeably American football and women's soccer, are my daily regulars. I have about four football and two women's soccer podcasts. As well as my favorite semi-general sports podcast as of late Nothing Personal with David Samson. I have a few WNBA and NBA podcasts and during the seasons I sometimes listen to them but I haven't found hosts that I want and enjoy listening to daily. I have a whole genre of food podcasts some more educational some more comedic, I find them very helpful when I am struggling with my eating disorder to listen to people enjoyably discussing food. I have my regular psychology and disability podcast (I am trying to expand these genres) I have a good few comedic relief, type podcasts with semi noticeable celebrities. I also love mini-series that deep dive into specific topics and usually moments or figures in history. I usually binge listen to the whole series over the weekend, I enjoy the clear start and end of the series.
As someone with ADHD during the pandemic, I noticed that podcasts were the perfect amount of some sort of version of connection and socialization with others, without having to meet people in person. I enjoyed relaxing with my regulars I know their style of speech and nuances and the structure of the podcast episode is the same so it is both calming and stimulating in the right amount.
It's interesting to notice that now that I am back in person for classes and working and observing at a school. I am struggling with so much sensory overload. At first, I didn't even notice why I constantly felt on edge and just every noise grated on me but this morning when there were gardeners outside my window using a weed wacker and I was unable to continue reading poetry for class. I was so overstimulated that I went to lie in bed and covered my ears with my blanket. This came in tandem with realizing that I am behind on a few of the regular podcasts that I enjoy. Being that it's only Monday morning I am not yet behind on my American football podcasts as they dont work the weekends and I will only get the Monday episodes late this evening.
It was noticeable as I spent my weekend prepping for a student teaching and working on an online review game, and usually, I enjoy having something in the background on a topic that I enjoy while doing relatively menial tasks. This weekend I couldn't handle it even the typing on my computer was grating to myself and getting a simple, yet rather long and tedious task was rather unenjoyable, but I was completely sensorily overloaded and couldn't even enjoy my regular weekend listens.
Podcasts have long held a space in my heart since I came back from living in America in 2016 and had gotten used to listening to live radio, I deep-dived into podcasts starting with the sports genre and gradually increasing my topic and interest radius. As of today, I have around 834 podcasts in my library, but I delete the mini-series and series I have finished and I have about 20 more on Spotify.
Podcasts play a big place in creating a community for myself; and as a disabled person with mental health struggles, it accessibilizes (it's not a word but it should be) a lot of information for me. As an auditory learner, it doesn't require a lot of spoons usually (until my ADHD brain gets overwhelmed) and usually energizes me. It is also a form of connecting with others I hope to join from the other side, but for now, is a pipe dream unless it's on others' podcasts. Do you listen to podcasts? What genre of podcasts do you listen to? What podcasts are your must listens? Leave your recommendations below.