Poetry for your soul – and your mental health
Studies are showing what many written word-lovers have known for years – poetry is good for your mental health.[1] How can you use this knowledge to make your experience of parenting a little more positive?
Poetry can feel like a very elitist or exclusive artform, and one which (if you’re not already a fan) is too scary to get into when you’re a busy adult: the equivalent of walking into a pub and finding the eyes of every regular boring into you.
Reading or writing poetry (no matter how good it is) can have measurable positive effects on health.
A literature review of studies into the medicinal benefits of poetry was published in 2020, with the aim of highlighting how poetry might help combat the impact of the lockdowns.
By analysing studies into poetry from the past two decades (some with admittedly small sample sizes, so more research will need to be done), the authors find that reading or writing expressively, through poetry, has clear benefits.
These include improving mood (both long term and short term) and working memory, increasing the ability to cope with stresses and lowering levels of tension in the body.[1]
Several studies have even found that poetry can reduce the level of pain people feel when undergoing major surgeries.[1]
So, even if you never show anyone else, why not try sitting down and writing a poem as a way to look after your mental health?
It doesn’t have to follow any particular format, although if having a structure helps why not try starting with a haiku – or a limerick?
Writing about how you feel, what you see or just any old words that come to you will allow you to express, and process, your thoughts in a new way.
If you’d prefer to start by reading poems for a bit of inspiration, we recommend these three fantastic poets, who you can find sharing work on social media.
Hollie McNish, a straight-talking, brilliant poet, writes honestly and is incredibly funny. She even has a whole book of poetry about motherhood: Nobody Told Me.
Find her on Instagram @holliepoetry or her website https://holliepoetry.com/
Rupi Kaur, who not only shares her empowering, lyrical poems but has recently published Healing Through Words – a book full of guidance to begin writing your own story.
Find her on Instagram @rupikaur_ or her website https://rupikaur.com/
Nelly Bryce, now, we have to let you know that Nelly is also one of our fantastic parent contributors, but she is also a poet and writer who shares her spot-on observations of how being a mum feels. She has written a whole poetry book about the journey of motherhood: Motherhood Minus the Medals.
Find her on Instagram @nellythewriter or buy her book from https://ko-fi.com/s/b9688f6bd8
References:
[1] Xiang DH, Yi AM. (2020) ‘A Look Back and a Path Forward: Poetry's Healing Power during the Pandemic’. J Med Humanit. 41(4):603-608