6 Audiobooks/ Podcast Episodes You Should Listen To Learn More On How To Improve Your Overall Well-Being

The emergence of audiobooks and podcasting has taken the media industry by storm and “occupied” our ears at different locations and settings. 

 

Since listening is an integral part of our everyday lives now, it is important to be selective on what we choose to listen to, whether to learn something new or to gain some inspiring insights. 

 

 

Here are some audiobooks and podcast episodes that you can start listening to while embarking on a journey of lifting your spirits and enhancing your well-being. 

 

 

To Boost Your Quality of Sleep and Overall Health

1. Audiobook: Why We Sleep by Matthew Walker

Narrated by Steve West (Duration: 13 hours and 52 minutes)

 

In his book, Walker highlights the significance of deep and sufficient hours of sleep to our health. It is not wrong to desire a good night’s sleep because it not only helps to recalibrate our physical body but also our emotional state to “function” the next day. Sleep also plays an important role before and after we learn anything new to experience maximum memory retention.

 

Source: Kobo

 

My greatest lesson from this book is certainly how sleep acts as the core foundation of our health pillars, as opposed to diet and exercise. Backed by various research, you will be educated on how to sleep better and why insufficient sleep can cause detrimental effects to our immune system, metabolic, cardiovascular, and reproductive system. 

 

To sleep or not to sleep. There is only one answer to this question. Sleep is an absolute biological necessity. Get this audiobook here.

 

 

To Have Better Connection Through Our Conversations

2. Audiobook: We Need To Talk: How to Have Conversations That Matter by Celeste Headlee

Narrated by Celeste Headlee (Duration: 5 hours 11 minutes)

 

WE NEED TO TALK. I can’t help but feel that something is wrong and the whole atmosphere is about to get heavy whenever I hear these four words. The author explains why we are more hesitant to have face-to-face conversations these days. Part of it is due to our overreliance on onscreen communication and another big part of it is, we have missed out on the real point of talking and listening: to connect. 

 

Source: Amazon UK

 

My favourite eureka moment while listening to this book is when the author points out how conversations can foster empathy. Whenever we have conversations, we listen actively, look for similarities with others, share other people’s joy and pay attention to their faces. In the long run, our relationships will thrive and flourish.

 

Conversations are not easy every time, but they are necessary because they are the basis of our everyday relationships. Start listening here. 

 

 

To Help You Lead A Better Lifestyle Through Good Habits

3. Audiobook: Atomic Habits by James Clear

Narrated by James Clear (Duration: 5 hours and 35 minutes) 

 

Have you ever caught yourself sighing endlessly when you find yourself caught up in the same cycle over and over again? Desperately hoping for a transformation in your life, but nothing seemed to work out? Perhaps it is time to look at how you form your daily habits. 

 

Source: Kobo

 

In this book, the author demonstrates how our lifestyle can be transformed by practicing daily consistency instead of intensity when forming new habits. I personally enjoyed listening to the point about focusing on building a new identity instead of creating a new routine to carry out a new habit. For instance, instead of repeatedly saying “I will go to the gym 3 days a week”, tell yourself that you are a health-conscious person and you will take the necessary steps to be healthy. 

 

Your repeated behaviours will eventually form your identity. Get started on listening here. 

 

 

To Set Better Boundaries At Work

4. Podcast Episode: When Work Takes Over Your Life (WorkLife with Adam Grant)

 

(Duration: 37 minutes and 39 seconds)

 

Can work-life balance truly exist? It is possible when you set boundaries in a 24/7 hyper-connected world. A self-acclaimed workaholic and renowned psychologist, Grant and his panel guests dived deep into the various reasons for burnout and why it is important to learn to say no FIRMLY when it comes to delegating work and time efficiently.

 

Source: TED Talk

 

My favourite moment of this episode is when Grant tells of his experience of him sending an email to an acquaintance to “politely” reject his request after he will not take no for an answer previously. Grant candidly wrote, “I’m so sorry to disappoint. One of my goals for this year is to improve my ability to say no. And you’re a tough audience. Thanks for the practice.”

 

By setting boundaries on who to help, how to help, and when to help, Grant shares that he could enjoy and contribute more at work. Start exploring this episode here.

 

 

To Navigate Your Emotions and Relationships Healthily

5. Podcast Episode: Loneliness and Connection (Unlocking Us by Brené Brown)

(Duration: 53 minutes and 54 seconds) 

 

In this episode, guest speaker and surgeon, Dr. Vivek Murthy discussed what loneliness is, what it is not, as well as the importance of engaging in authentic, open relationships for us to flourish in our everyday life. It is refreshing to hear how loneliness is categorized according to our needs through three different dimensions, namely emotional loneliness, social loneliness, and collective loneliness. This explains why sometimes you can still feel lonely even if you are married.

 

Source: Primal Stream Media

 

I personally liked how Dr. Vivek also talked about the significance of connecting with ourselves (focus on “being” instead of “doing”) to improve our emotional wellbeing and relationships with others. When something unexpected arises, we should respond by monitoring and regulating our feelings first instead of jumping straight to solutions. 

 

In times of transitions or tragedies, never take self-love and self-care for granted. You can catch the podcast by Brené Brown here. 

 

 

To Be More Accountable With Your Personal Finance 

6. Podcast Episode: Money Goals Tips And Why You Need Goals (BFM Ringgit and Sense)

(Duration: 20 minutes and 31 seconds) 

 

Hosted by Roshan Kanesan, this episode featured the discussion of two guest speakers, Kevin Neoh and Raymond Tan as they systematically explained the ways of creating and breaking down realistic macro and micro-finance goals while balancing the steps needed to achieve them. 

 

Source: Podtail

 

My biggest takeaway from this episode is the importance of accountability to decide to start something, even if it is “insignificant” in the beginning. We should not wait for the perfect timing to start a financial goal. If you have set your mind to save RM500 for a month and you think it is impossible with your current spending, start small by saving RM10 or RM5 today or in a week. 

 

When you take one step at a time, you will soon find the momentum and confidence to press on with your financial goals. You can listen to the episode here.

 

 

I hope you will enjoy the above recommendations and learn something refreshing during each listening experience. You can also check out other audiobook recommendations to listen to while working on other tasks.

 

If you’re interested to discover more podcasts, check out these articles on 6 Podcasts That Help Inspire You to Work Harder and 5 Audiobooks You Can Listen To While Working On Other Tasks.