The end of the semester—and finals week—is looming, and with it, the shadow of anxiety is being cast over much of PLNU. If you’re feeling the stress of studying, homework and life in general, it may be time to introduce some soothing podcasts to your daily routine.
Here are three that you can listen to that will help you feel more relaxed while studying, find times to breathe, or fall asleep faster.
One of my all-time favorite podcasts is the Wonderful! Podcast. It’s a husband and wife duo talking about the little things in life they find wonderful, like apple pie or Tetris. When I’m feeling overwhelmed, these small reminders of joy are able to help put me at ease and make me smile.
If you’re someone who can listen to things while studying or doing homework, this is ideal for that. The pair’s voices are pretty calming, you don’t need to pay close attention to know what’s going on, and the humor of the podcast can help break up the monotony of studying.
When you need to take a quick break and rest your mind from studying, the Meditation Minis podcast is great to center yourself. This podcast offers more than 150 guided meditations, each around ten minutes long.
Even in the push to finish out the semester strong, taking breaks for self-care is important. According to a study from the Medical Science Monitor, practicing breath awareness for ten minutes can improve focus, so following along with this podcast can actually make your study sessions more productive. I found it deeply relaxing. It let me set aside my stress for a few minutes, and I felt better when diving back in.
When your homework is finished and you finally get the chance to head to bed, sometimes stress can make it difficult to fall asleep. A study by researchers from Ghent and KU Leuven universities in Belgium found students who got a good night’s sleep did better on tests. Falling asleep when there’s a lot of information or worries running through your head can be difficult, but the podcast Sleep With Me seeks to remedy that. The speaker gives a calming, meandering story with the goal of distracting you so you can fall asleep faster.
Listening to this podcast, I immediately found myself ready to doze off, so definitely save this one for when you actually want to go to bed. The words ultimately aren’t important, it just helps you interrupt your thoughts and calm down enough to sleep. For Game of Thrones fans excited about the new season, the podcast offers Game of Drones, a recap of each episode that lasts about as long as the episode itself.
There are more podcasts than ever out there to help combat the pressure of the end of the semester. Give these a try to end the cycle of stress we as students often face.
Katie Kepler 
Steve Anderson 
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