How Writing Poetry Helps My Mental Health
For many, a blank page can often be daunting, sometimes even frustrating. Oftentimes though, the opportunity to fill a page with words can be healing and help improve mental health. While I’ve no doubt found the blank page to be intimidating at times, I will always return to it and face it for the clarity and support it provides.
I started writing out of personal tragedy and it helped clear my mind and make sense of the different ways I was feeling. I wrote poetry all through high school and while I didn’t always understand where the writing came from, I knew it helped me sort things out mentally and offered me immense support.
When I stopped regularly writing for several years during and after college, it was again a personal tragedy that brought me back to the page. Only this time, I felt like I had a better handle of just how much and why writing helped my mental health so much.
Reading poetry was a lifesaver just several years ago and returning to writing my own ultimately felt like a perfect complement to my healing journey. After all, studies have shown that writing can in fact benefit mental health and greatly increase self-awareness. Per The Conversation, “Research shows that expressive writing can enhance self-awareness, ultimately decreasing depressive symptoms, anxious thoughts and perceived stress.” And that’s how writing poetry felt for me.
Over the years, getting my feelings (whether I know they’re there or not) down on paper has been one of the best things I’ve done for my mental health. It makes me feel less anxious and, in times of greater mental stress, has lifted me out of the darkness and into the light. Writing has been there for me when it felt like no one else was, has been a spark in my darkest moments, and has consistently provided comfort and support like few other things have.
If you’re a writer in any form, I can’t recommend enough carving out time daily to jot down at least a sentence or two. Not only in times of personal tragedy, but in a way that makes space for it to become a habit for helping your mental health.
