Audio Books for Anxiety

Hi, I’m Lizzy and I have anxiety. I have probably had it for a long time, but it came to a head last year after certain triggering events all happened at once. After that, leaving the house or leaving my bed became a real issue. I would get out when I needed to take my daughter to school or walk the dog, but otherwise, I would retreat to my safe space and drown out the inner voices with Insta Reels. I knew I was wasting my time, but it was all I had in me to do. My mental health was suffering, and I didn’t know how to stop the downward spiral. 

I had seen a doctor, was on medication which helped and was on the waiting list for therapy. But that overpowering voice in my head giving me all the bad news and self-doubt just got louder and louder. I recently saw Inside Out 2 and thought they got it pretty spot on. The anxiety that should have been a little voice helping me prepare for situations was taking over, telling me I couldn’t handle anything, that I wasn’t good enough to try, and that I was a burden to everyone around me. It wouldn’t let me breathe, and my mental health felt completely out of my control. 

On one of my dog walks, headphones in and heavy metal turned up full volume trying to drown out inner Lizzy, a podcast popped up on Spotify that I used to really enjoy, so I started listening to it. They were reading a story and commenting on it, and I found that I was listening to their voices instead of inner Lizzy. Loud, screaming music was too familiar, and even singing along wouldn’t keep that inner voice at bay for long, but listening to other voices talk and read seemed to give me something more to concentrate on. 

I tried to read a book when I got home from my walk to see if that would help quiet the inner voice. I had really got into reading during COVID and had books lined up ready to go, but inner Lizzy would be the one reading, and she tended to get distracted and go back to the negativity I was trying to avoid. 

So, when I went out with the dog the next day, I went back to the podcast, but there were no new episodes, and re-listening to the same ones didn’t have the same distraction effect. So, I went on the hunt for a new podcast, even posting on Instagram for recommendations but not finding anything I was interested in. But I did find The Hunger Games audiobook—I had a copy of the book sat in my ‘to read’ pile, so I gave it a go. Bingo! Inner Lizzy was quiet; she seemed to be sitting and listening to the story too. For the first time in a while, I felt like I had some breathing room. 

From then on, each day I walked my dog, I found more and more joy in going. I love being outside, and that joy was being rekindled with each chapter I got through. Inner Lizzy was starting to find a comfy cushion to shut up and listen on in my head and now that I had found a way to quiet her and her unhelpful behaviour, I was able to start making progress in other things. I started wearing my headphones around the house while I tidied or made food. I found having the book on the speaker to be less effective, so headphones were the better option. The story was right in my ear, so I wasn’t distracted when rustling or banging covered the story as I moved about. I got better headphones, ones that I could wear for longer periods of time without upsetting my piercings, and found that I was getting back to being a functional human again. My mental health was improving day by day, and audiobooks were a huge part of that. 

Of course, I can’t say audiobooks fixed my anxiety—there were other factors, including the incredible support I got from those around me—but they made the quiet time I had on my own bearable and gave me the breathing space I needed to help myself. My mental health wasn’t perfect, but it was manageable again. 

Since then, I have taken to audiobooks not just as an inner Lizzy block, but simply because I enjoy them so much. I get 15 hours of listening with my Spotify subscription, but that wasn’t enough so I bought an Audible subscription. I probably get one to three hours of listening in a day and enjoy listening to stories more than watching TV or reading myself. I quite often sew or craft when I’m not busy with other things, and it really feels like I have my head under my control again. 

I now always recommend audiobooks and podcasts for people struggling with anxiety or mental health challenges because they helped me so much. But I think the most important part is finding a story you enjoy. It doesn’t have to be educational or fantasy (my favourite)—it just has to be good for you. There are true crimes, murder mysteries, fantasy, sci-fi, and tons of others. Find something you enjoy, get recommendations from others, or check out online/social media book groups and get your inner voice listening to a book with you. 

Lizzy Porter
Digital Marketing Executive

Written September 2024

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