A Moment for You: Relax with Podcasts at the Hospital
Podcasts are a great way to take time for yourself while you are in the hospital.
After being diagnosed with cancer or another serious illness, you may feel like everything is being taken away from you. You may have lost your sense of normalcy, your ability to hang out with your friends, perhaps even your hair… and it’s wildly unfair.
Once you start treatment, you will spend more time away from home, school, and work. You will find yourself spending that time inside the walls of a hospital. You may find yourself sitting, waiting, and wishing to have more control over the hours in those days.
Waiting is a big part of treatment
I know what you are thinking: You did not expect that 30-minute appointment to turn into a 4-hour chunk of time in the middle of your day. But sometimes that happens. And as the weeks pass, you may look back on your treatment journey and feel frustrated that cancer took yet another thing away from you—time.
Whether you are spending time in a waiting area, an infusion room, or in a car commuting to and from the hospital, you deserve to claim every minute of your time in a way that is meaningful and interesting to you.
This is not a post telling you to put those care packages you’ve received to better use. I know your relatives and friends meant well with those adult coloring books, journals, and craft kits.
This is also not a post telling you to make the most of your time by getting ahead on your homework or by encouraging you to take up a new hobby (I’m looking at you, knitting). I fully support extra naps and Netflix binges.
But if we are being honest, how many times can you really re-watch Stranger Things or The Great British Baking Show without wanting to shake things up a bit?
Take podcasts with you wherever you go. They are a great way to learn new facts, dive into new subjects, and broaden your perspective.
Podcasts to the rescue from boredom
Enter: Podcasts. Your new companion. Your weapon against serious illness’ attempt to dictate how you will fill the random voids in time as you wander through (or lounge around) hospital waiting areas. Podcasts offer an opportunity to connect with others without having to socialize on days when you just need to retreat. And, of course, they offer you the chance to become an expert on any niche topic.
Here are a few recommendations.
Song Exploder
This podcast is for anyone who listens to any kind of music. Seriously. Without focusing on a particular genre, host Hrishikesh Hirway invites musicians to join him on-air to share the most intimate details of their music-making process with listeners.
Each episode focuses on one artist and explores the depths of the work and creativity that went into writing and performing one of their original songs. Episodes are released every 2 weeks and last around 20 minutes each. And if you find that you really love this show, you are in luck. The audio-based show has since developed into a Netflix documentary series, and it is completely bingeworthy.
One Song
If you prefer a deeper dive into music podcasts and want to focus more on songs than music in general, check out One Song with hosts Diallo Riddle and Blake “LUXXURY” Robin. Each week, the 2 podcasters break down the special ingredients of well-known pop songs.
By deconstructing songs, the hosts hope the audience will learn how to hear the intricacies of single songs. Discussions surround how each song was created and recorded and offer insights that may let you hear something new about a song that you’ve listened to for years!
Stuff You Should Know
Hosts Josh and Chuck want to share stuff you should know. There’s no theme here, other than that each episode talks about stuff that… well, you guessed it, you should know. Topics include recounting historical events, sharing interesting stories about people, or reviewing how things (like pain, class-action lawsuits, or pimento cheese) work.
Sounds totally random, but also interesting, right? Not every episode will interest you, so be sure to scroll through the titles to find topics that grab your attention. After listening to some episodes from this show, you are bound to be the friend that everyone looks to for answers on trivia night.
On Purpose with Jay Shetty
Everyone faces challenges in their lives, even people that we would not expect (you know, the people who seem to ‘have it all’). Host Jay Shetty—who once lived as a monk and is now a world-renowned self-help guru—sits down with celebrities, athletes, and global leaders to explore the habits and mindsets that help them overcome hardships.
Shetty’s guest list is full of variety, with thoughts shared by people like Bill Gates, Jelly Roll, and Elliot Page. Conversations about relationships and mental health unfold with 2 new episodes each week that are sure to motivate you in pursuit of your best self.
"Podcasts offer an opportunity to connect with others without having to socialize on days when you just need to retreat. And, of course, they offer you the chance to become an expert on any niche topic."
Olympics.com Podcast
Whether or not you would describe yourself as an athlete, you will probably agree with me on this: Olympians are fascinating. The kind of fascinating where—even if you never dreamed that you would care about synchronized swimming—once you hear about the dedication, training, and meaning behind the sport from the eyes of an Olympian, you feel suddenly inspired to find an Olympic-sized swimming pool and try it out for yourself. OK, maybe that is a stretch, but there is something incredible about the physical and mental toughness of Olympians.
In the Olympics.com Podcast, host Nick McCarvel interviews the world’s top athletes to share stories every other week.
The Book Review Podcast
This podcast title does not leave much to the imagination; it reviews books. But do not let the premise of the show bore you—The Book Review’s host, Gilbert Cruz, has a wealth of experience in journalism and joins listeners each week with hot takes on up-and-coming and other well-known books.
Often joined by guest editors and authors, Cruz also features episodes about books adapted for film and creative writing. With new episodes each week, this podcast is great for those who love to read and want to dive deep into the literary world at The New York Times.
Pop Culture Happy Hour
Calling all pop culture followers: If you feel like you just cannot get enough of the latest pop culture news, you may feel different after tuning into this NPR show. Now releasing daily episodes, this round-table style podcast consists of hosts and guests sharing their—sometimes opposing—opinions and reviews on the hottest media topics today.
Books, TV shows, video games, celebrity events, movies, and more are discussed, with each episode featuring one media topic. Browse the titles to find something you are interested in, or just hit play and let the episodes roll, inviting you to learn about new topics.
Meditative Story
Have you ever considered dabbling in mindfulness or meditation, but are not quite ready to commit to independent sessions? I get it. Sitting down with the intention to meditate often leads to unfocused thoughts scattering across my mind’s landscape. But this podcast offers a good place to become engaged in meditation.
Hosted by Rohan Gunatillake, the creator of the app Buddhify, each episode invites a guest to share a story. Calming music underlies the audio track, and within the storyline meditative prompts are offered that will guide the listener to experience mindful moments. Reviewers are known to find favorite episodes to revisit during stressful times and to view each episode as a gift. This is a perfect ‘no pressure’ opportunity to begin or to strengthen your meditative practice.
Life on Pause
Some of you may want to escape your cancer experience through podcasts, while others want to lean in. For those interested in connecting with other young adult patients about their experiences with cancer, check out Life on Pause, a podcast created and produced by young adults with cancer at Penn State Health.
Although newer to the podcast landscape (meaning, there’s only a few episodes released right now), this show is undeniably relatable to any young person navigating cancer treatment, and everything else that comes with it.
Caregivers SHARE episodes provide 20 minutes of solace, connection, and grace for families navigating treatment.
Caregivers SHARE
Families in the hospital may feel alone. Caregivers SHARE, a St. Jude podcast, offers advice, reflection, and encouragement to families going through serious illness with their child. The podcast includes intimate moments; stories of diagnosis, treatment, and survivorship; moments of laughter; and practical tips on navigating illness.
SHARE stands for Support, Honor, Advise, Reflect, and Encourage. Each episode features caregivers talking with health care professionals about what they have been through.
Whether you want to distract yourself with the latest pop culture news or want to finally solve a classic mystery, these podcasts are sure to make your downtime at the hospital a bit more bearable.
