Podcasting and Mental Health: Tips for Maintaining Balance
Mental health affects all facets of our daily lives and actions. From how we handle stress to our sleeping and eating habits, mental health whether poor or healthy can ultimately control our overall health! Many companies, as of late, are taking the mental health of their employees much more seriously. Giving mental health days in addition to sick time, etc. But what about those of us who work for ourselves? Especially, those in podcasting?!
Podcasters have many of the same work struggles as those who are ‘standard employees’ such as
Deadlines
Criticism (feedback positive and negative)
Projects; that often involve others
But where a majority of employees are able to share work, podcast producers may not! Especially if the podcaster creates, records, edits, and runs socials for their show. This leaves all deadlines, all criticism, and all additional projects weighing on one person. Podcasters, in order to maintain success, must:
meet deadlines
engage with their audience
create and improve upon each episode
Record
Edit
Write show notes, blogs, social media posts, etc.
All of this can become a daunting task - which can leave one to forget about maintaining their mental health and therefore lacking self-care. Below are some tips for maintaining the balance between podcasting and perpetuating positive mental health.
Recognize the Signs of Burnout
According to the National Library of Medicine, “the term “burnout” was coined in the 1970s… to describe the consequences of severe stress and high ideals”. Burnout symptoms can trigger an individual to realize that something needs to change to keep themselves healthy. Some such symptoms are
fatigue; especially paired with insomnia. “chronic stress interferes with the complicated neurological and hormonal system that regulates sleep.” - NY Times
irritability; headaches & stomach aches, and more
decreased motivation
change in eating habits (can be eating more or less)
While we recognize that these symptoms can be due to other causes - paying attention to these changes in yourself and recognizing that, especially as a podcaster, you may be surpassing your limits with work, creating a stressful environment and consequently creating poor eating habits, difficulty sleeping, or even the lack of motivation to do what you love.
Recognizing these signs and being aware of them as early as possible is an important tip for maintaining balance as it prompts one to understand that you need to take a step back and evaluate what is causing the burnout. Now that you know what to look for, what can you do to prevent such burnout?
Delegate and Collaborate
If you are able, Hire a podcast manager (Check out our blog on why here!)
Delegate with your partners - make sure to give each other tasks that make sense and are achievable
Collaborate with other podcasters; you present on theirs and vice versa. You can even post each episode on your own channel if it makes sense with your content!
Batch Content
knowing ahead of time what is expected of you allows you to manage your schedule and create buffers to avoid overworking.
Batch episodes: recording, editing, and show notes, etc.
Batch socials
Batch blogs
Batch whatever makes sense for your podcast! Keeping your mind on one general task at a time can help you focus without causing confusion of jumping back and forth through tasks.
Rest + Take Breaks
Yes, it’s important to put out your show. But giving yourself breaks is also important to keep your creativity + passion!
Batch creating helps but you should also set up a schedule/air dates that allow you to work at your own pace
Take vacations! Let your viewers know when to expect their next episode and go offline!
Set Realistic Goals + Boundaries
Create boundaries for yourself, and those around you, surrounding your ‘work’ schedule. Be purposeful about when you work and encourage yourself and your team to avoid working outside of your schedule.
Logically set out how many episodes to produce each week or month.
Create a task list with deadlines for each individual. Prioritizing working effectively to make deadlines and allowing oneself to take breaks
Some additional tips for maintaining balance:
schedule breaks; mealtimes and additional 5-15 min rests
set a clear work schedule (i.e. Mon., Wed., Fri. 10-5 pm), and do not take work outside of these times
start small and take on more as you learn your workload abilities. Do not overload!
Prioritize quality over quantity
take a look at the episode lengths and the work they take to produce. Can you logically film and edit an episode each week, biweekly, or monthly?
Practice Self-Care
Promoting your own self-care and prioritizing breaks not only allows you to rest and recharge, they actually have been proven to support better quality work. As they empower focus and accuracy!
Prioritize self-care and mental health - TAKE REGULAR BREAKS
we can not emphasize enough the importance of breaks during a long work day!
Schedule breaks if need be! If you’re like me and sometimes ‘need’ a reason to break from work, schedule daily stretch breaks or walks, etc.
Make time for hobbies and other interests outside of podcasting. Giving yourself time to do things outside of podcasting is important as your show is now a job and giving yourself breaks to enjoy other activities fills your ‘cup’ but also can allow your podcast to stay a passion rather than solely work.
Set boundaries and communicate your schedule with others!
Work Smarter, not Harder
Regularly evaluate your podcast’s progress and make adjustments as needed
Listen to your listeners' Feedback! This might help you find what works well and simplify your process to fit your audience's needs
Seek Support and Connection
As a support group, seeking support from other podcasters can help you feel heard as well as allow you to learn new ways to take care of your mental health, and cope with the task load, that may work for other podcasters. Fostering an environment of support and camaraderie with your fellow podcasters through online communities, forums, or networking events can amplify the feeling of community and empower each member to ask questions, voice concerns, and encourage each other to continue their passion while brainstorming additional tips for maintaining balance!
While seeking support of your fellow creators can be a huge help it is also key to seek support from your friends and family as they can reinforce your goals and see how your mental health effects not only your work on your show but your personal life. Being able to recognize when burnout is unmanageable or even getting ahead of it by seeking out a mental health professional is a strength! Mental health professionals are an amazing tool to be able to release your thoughts and emotions and have a non-biased individual hear you and help you find solutions that work for YOU!
Monitor Your Mental Health
It is essential for everyone to monitor their mental health regularly but especially as a podcaster, mental health, may easily go unseen as podcasters often work mainly from home and/or alone! Actively monitoring your own mental health and taking note of changes, both positive and negative, maybe the difference between loving your work and burning out. Taking note of any changes also promotes one to recognize when to seek help if they notice any concerning changes or symptoms.
If you find yourself struggling with mental health please seek help. Support can be found:
Helplines
Mental Health Resources & Support: (800) 854-7771
Access Line (1): Mental health screening and assessment, Referral to a service provider, Crisis counseling, Mobilizing field response teams, and Linkages to other services and resources
Access Line (2): Emotional Support Warm Line
Access Line (3): Veteran Line
Trevor Project Lifeline: (800) 788-7386: The TrevorLifeline provides support to LGBTQ youths and allies in crisis or in need of a safe and judgment-free place to talk.
988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline: Free and confidential support available 24/7 by calling or texting 988 to connect with a trained crisis counselor
And SO MANY MORE can be found on the Department of Mental Health website
Online therapy services: Brightside Health, MDLIVE Online Therapy, Grow Therapy, Doctor on Demand Online Therapy, and Teladoc Virtual Counseling
Apps: Headspace, Stop, Breathe & Think, Happify, BetterHelp, Calm, and more! There are mental health apps for every concern!
Mental Health Forums: Such as Talkspace
Be Kind to Yourself
At the end of the day, it really comes down to practicing self-compassion and being kind to yourself, especially during times of stress or difficulty. Allow yourself to take breaks, even miss deadlines, missing an episode can be managed as you can continue your show but burnout and ignoring your mental health can be the cause of podfading
It can be hard to allow oneself to miss deadlines or take time for yourself with work that needs to be done. But reframing negative thoughts and focusing on accomplishments and self-improvement rather than perfection will make a huge difference in allowing yourself to take the necessary precautions to avoid mental drain. As mentioned we can get past a missed episode but you are the only you!
Conclusion:
These are a few tips for maintaining balance while podcasting and doing so from the jump so, hopefully, you can maintain your mental health! Implementing the suggested tips and strategies will support your own mental health as a podcaster. Remember, to prioritize self-care and seek support if needed, both within and outside of the podcasting community.
Please share your own tips and experiences for maintaining a balance between podcasting and mental health in the comments section!
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