Feel Good Friday: Secondhand Therapy Podcast

My drive home from work usually involves a lot of construction, a lot of traffic and a whole lot of frustration. If you’ve been in a car with me, you might hear me voicing my thoughts aloud to other drivers as we go, noting individuals who don’t zipper merge (the zipper merge is faster for everyone!!), don’t go when they should go, stop when they should stop or altogether make the road a less-safe place. As I make an effort to relax my brain and be less affected by the happenings on the road, I realized that simply playing music in my car wouldn’t be enough. Podcasts have always provided a beautiful place to geek out over Psychology (such as the Hidden Brain Podcast!), hear from places of vulnerability (Where Should We Begin by Esther Perrel is incredible), or learn something new (CBC’s Alone Together is fascinating). 

But it wasn’t until I came across the Secondhand Therapy podcast that I found a podcast that captures my full attention and makes me squeal with delight when a new episode is released. Each week, I drive home with Lou and Michael and engage in their conversations about what they learned in therapy, what they’re working through, the topics on their mind and most importantly, how they feel about all these things. Secondhand Therapy feels like a breakthrough in creating a vulnerable space for men, in particular, to talk about their mental health. The conversations hold depth like no other – showing how we can and should be connecting with the people in our lives. 

Sometimes I’m so much like Lou – being vastly uncomfortable with anything that isn’t honest and real, and other times I’m so much like Michael – people pleasing my way through my perfectionist tendencies. They talk about grief, anxiety, ADHD and social norms, all the while poking fun at one another while laughing uncontrollably or holding space for each other when they cry. The joy I get from being able to listen in to the realness and openness these men share with the internet is profound and I’ve felt like they’ve become friends. If you drove by me on these days, you’d see me talking to my car right along with them! 

The idea of Feel Good Fridays started because we believe the simple things that bring a smile to our face are some of the best things. Smiling and laughing has been proven to reduce stress in our lives! When we smile or laugh it releases neurotransmitters in our brain called endorphins, which are in charge of making us happy and helping to relieve stress.