Seven TED Talks to Get You Through the Day

A better day in 18 minutes or less

Written by Tessa Devine, Lifestyle Staff Writer

What’s the best way to turn a crappy day around? Do you believe bad days can be made better, or that you simply have to ride the wave for the next 24 hours? Regardless of your attitudes, the simple fact is no one likes to feel crappy, and we often turn to life’s comforts when the going gets tough. One of my favorite comforts to turn to is TED Talks. There’s something so wholesome about a high-quality, well-delivered speech. One of the best things about TED Talks is that they cover a wide range of topics, so you can really learn about anything.

I’m almost positive everyone has seen a TED Talk or at least heard of them. In case you haven’t, TED is a nonprofit organization that hosts speakers who discuss a plethora of topics varying from technology, entertainment and design (Our Organization | About, n.d.).

No matter what kind of day you’re having or how many support systems you have in your life, you can always open your laptop and find TED Talks to watch. Whether you’re in need of a distraction, perspective or some motivation, here are seven TED Talks to tuck away for a rainy day…they might just be exactly what you need.

The hidden power of sad songs and rainy days (Susan Cain, 2019)

Author Susan Cain discusses something C.S. Lewis calls "the inconsolable longing for we know not what.” She also attempts to answer why we sometimes welcome sorrow into our life, when most of the time we’ll do anything to avoid it. It’s an interesting topic and may make you feel less alone on a day you’re feeling particularly blue. Plus a bonus—you’ll hear some beautifully sorrowful violin music played by Min Kym.

To overcome challenges, stop comparing yourself to others (Dean Furness, 2020)

If you’re in the mood to feel inspired and gain some life advice, check out Dean Furness’s talk where he recounts his recovery after a major injury. The way he spoke of his struggle with the comparison (to his able-bodied self and others) I found very relatable. Comparison is something everyone struggles with at one point or another. Furness spoke of comparison as something that holds us back from achieving our goals. He is now a very successful wheelchair athlete…but it did not come without personal struggles.

Why we laugh (Sophie Scott, 2015)

The first time I watched this talk, I found myself laughing the whole way through (in my dorm room alone, mind you). Cognitive neuroscientist Sophie Scott dives into why and how we laugh. And while the science is super cool, my favorite part of this talk was when Scott asked the audience to differentiate between real and posed laughter…it’s actually easier than you might think.

Embrace your raw, strange magic (Casey Gerald, 2018)

“We're taught to hide so many parts of who we are and what we've been through: our love, our pain, for some, our faith,” says author Casey Gerald. “The way we're taught to live has got to change.” This talk was truly inspiring as Gerald recounts some of the accomplishments he made as a young man, but the personal sacrifices he made to get there and parts of his identity he felt the need to hide.

How to make stress your friend (Kelly McGonigal, 2013)

As someone who struggles with anxiety and biting off more than I can chew, I found this TED Talk to be particularly helpful. Kelly McGonigal is a health psychologist and she poses the question—can changing how you think about stress make you healthier? Not only will you understand what stress is and why we feel stress after this talk, but you might also have an entirely different perspective on it.

I'm tired of people telling me to "grind" (Pardis Parker, 2021)

Super relatable and super hilarious, comedian Pardis Parker rants about how annoying, and frankly stupid, “hustle culture” is. At the end of these ten minutes, I was reminded of how toxic and pointless our obsession with work is as a culture.

Where joy hides and how to find it (Ingrid Fetell Lee, 2018)

Lastly, designer Ingrid Fetell Lee unpacks what the word “joy” means and what it feels like. Lee states it better than I could: “Each moment of joy is small, but over time, they add up to more than the sum of their parts. And so maybe instead of chasing after happiness, what we should be doing is embracing joy and finding ways to put ourselves in the path of it more often.”

Happy TED Talk-ing!

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