Finding The Best Anxiety Podcast To Help Manage Anxiety Symptoms

Medically reviewed by Laura Angers Maddox, NCC, LPC
Updated June 21, 2024by BetterHelp Editorial Team

While it’s considered normal to experience occasional anxiety from time to time, high, persistent levels of it may be a sign of an anxiety disorder or other mental health condition. Anxiety disorders are some of the most common mental illnesses today, affecting almost 20% of the population. Though they’re considered to be highly treatable in general, only 36.9% of people will receive treatment—likely because of stigma, treatment availability, and a lack of information on mental health.

If left unaddressed, anxiety symptoms may get worse over time and can interfere with your daily life, responsibilities, and relationships. It’s typically recommended that you seek professional evaluation and support if you’re experiencing symptoms of a mental health condition like anxiety. However, there are also various tactics you can try to help reduce symptoms in conjunction with the treatment methods your doctor or therapist recommends.

One strategy you might consider trying is listening to anxiety podcasts, which can provide comfort, inspiration, and tips on healthy coping mechanisms. Here, we’ll list some of the best podcasts you might be interested in exploring.

Choosing a podcast for anxiety

Some podcasters are licensed therapists, while others are life coaches or content creators in this field. Many offer suggestions on coping techniques, while others focus on interviewing people who have experienced mental illnesses so they can discuss their personal tips and stories. Some of these weekly podcasts specialize in discussing specific anxiety disorders, such as separation anxiety disorder or social anxiety disorder, while others are broader and more general. 

Reading the podcast description and reviews and viewing the podcast host’s credentials may help you find the best anxiety podcast for you. You might also ask your therapist or friends and family for their recommendations. If you listen to an episode or two of a podcast and don’t find it helpful, you can always try another.

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Feeling overwhelmed by anxiety?

12 podcasts to help you cope with anxiety and other mental health concerns

Below, we’ve highlighted a dozen of the best podcasts that cover anxiety-related topics—from educational material and exercises to real-life stories from those who live with an anxiety disorder. See below for the title and a brief description of each. You can generally find them for free wherever you get your podcasts: Spotify, the Apple Podcast app, etc.

1. The Calmer You

Hosted by hypnotherapist, anxiety coach, and author Chloe Brotheridge, The Calmer You podcast provides advice on overcoming anxiety, building resilience, and becoming more mindful in your daily life. In the show, Chloe Brotheridge covers a wide range of topics for a broad audience, from new parents who are experiencing anxiety to those who fear public speaking, are experiencing work burnout, or have co-occurring conditions like attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).

2. Yeah No, I'm Not Okay

Made in collaboration with LAist Studios and Diane Guerrero, Yeah No, I’m Not Okay was created for BIPOC communities—who tend to be disproportionately affected by mental health challenges due to lived experiences with racism and other systemic issues. This podcast’s mission is to remove the stigma around mental health concerns and create a safe place for people of color to openly discuss mental health and wellness.

3. Anxiety Slayer Podcast

This podcast, hosted by Shann Vander Leek and Ananga Sivyer, provides tools and strategies to help those living with chronic stress, anxiety, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and/or panic attacks. The Anxiety Slayer’s content focuses on conversations and interviews with psychology experts as well as reviews of practical tips that those experiencing symptoms can use in everyday life, such as meditation, breathwork, and relaxation techniques. Many of these techniques can help with panic attacks, general anxiety, depression, stress, burnout, and more.

4. Your Anxiety Toolkit

Hosted by marriage and family therapist Kimberley Quinlan, the Your Anxiety Toolkit podcast provides strategies for managing symptoms of anxiety disorders, obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), depression, panic disorder, and other mental health concerns. The episodes focus on giving both information and science-based strategies for coping with the effects of these mental health concerns.

5. Not Another Anxiety Show

Not Another Anxiety Show is hosted by registered nurse and certified health and wellness coach Kelli Walker, who formerly lived with agoraphobia. This show aims to humanize the experience of anxiety by approaching it with such positivity and compassion, and it offers practical tools for the everyday management of this type of mental health condition as well.

6. Getting Better: Stories of Mental Health

BetterHelp's own podcast, Getting Better, is hosted by licensed therapists Micheline Maalouf and Nadia Addesi. It features interviews with well-known guests about their mental health journeys, including Ian Somerhalder, Chris Bosh, and Meghan Trainor. Listeners can take both inspiration and advice from these personal stories.

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7. Celeste the Therapist

The Celeste the Therapist podcast is hosted by Celeste Viciere, therapist and author. Her show focuses on breaking stigmas about mental health, particularly in BIPOC communities. She advises learning how to break the cycle of negative thought patterns that can lead to or exacerbate symptoms of mental health conditions like depression and anxiety.

8. The Anxiety Guy

The Anxiety Guy podcast is hosted by former tennis player Dennis Simsek, who was diagnosed with panic disorder and was able to address it through exposure therapy. In this podcast, Simsek explores anxiety and other mental health conditions and how they can impact one’s life. The Anxiety Guy discusses his own experience with mental illness and provides advice for overcoming or coping with symptoms.

9. Meditation Minis

For those times when you’re busy but need a moment of peace and relaxation, the Meditation Minis podcast may be able to help. These guided meditations average around 10 minutes long and each one has a different focus, from handling stress to coping with depression to unwinding in the evenings. At the time of this writing, it’s in the top 0.05% of downloaded podcasts, suggesting that many people around the world may find it useful and effective.

10. Mindful Minute Podcast

The Mindful Minute podcast is hosted by Meryl Arnett, whose mission is to make meditation and mindfulness practices available to more people. Each episode consists of a brief meditation that anyone can do without prior experience or training in the hopes that a broader audience of individuals will be able to benefit from incorporating this practice into their daily routines. 

Research suggests that mindfulness, an ancient spiritual practice that originated in Asia, may help reduce anxiety symptoms. That means this podcast and other resources could be worth exploring for those who are interested in benefiting from this type of practice.

11. Thrive Spice

The Thrive Spice podcast is hosted by Vanessa Tsang Shiliwala, who interviews activists, political leaders, and entrepreneurs to learn about how they set boundaries, find balance, and safeguard their mental health. She specializes in addressing topics that relate to the mental health of Asian Americans in particular and covers themes such as coping mechanisms, handling burnout, work-life balance, neurodiversity, and self-care.

12. The Anxiety Coaches

The Anxiety Coaches podcast, which has had over 13 million downloads, is hosted by nutritionist and coach Gina Ryan. As someone who formerly experienced anxiety herself, Ryan intends to provide informative and empowering conversations that explore anxiety, PTSD, panic disorder, and stress. Each episode of The Anxiety Coaches also provides practical advice on lifestyle changes or practices that may help improve well-being and mental health.

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Feeling overwhelmed by anxiety?

Seeking support for anxiety

If you believe you may be experiencing symptoms of an anxiety disorder, it’s typically recommended that you meet with a qualified mental health professional for evaluation and treatment advice—especially if your symptoms are severe or interfering with your daily functioning. While the best podcast may be able to provide helpful tips and strategies, it’s not a replacement for professional care. 

Research suggests that online therapy can generally offer comparable results to in-person sessions. This means those who are interested in seeking the support of a therapist for anxiety can usually choose between in-person or online treatment according to their preferences. Individuals who find it difficult to travel to and from appointments or who simply prefer to connect with a therapist from the comfort of home might consider a virtual therapy platform like BetterHelp. It allows you to get matched with a licensed therapist who you can meet with via phone, video call, and/or in-app messaging. 

Takeaway

Note that listening to one of the top anxiety podcasts is not a replacement for professional treatment for a mental health condition like an anxiety disorder, but some can provide helpful tips and inspiration. If you’re experiencing symptoms of a mental health disorder, addressing them with a healthcare professional is typically a recommended next step.

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