We all have unique ways of coping with stress and anxiety. When I was younger, I was very quiet. I tried not to draw much attention to myself in or out of school. I always had my head stuck in a book. This made me a very easy target for all of those little middle school bullies. I remember coming home crying and immediately pulling out a notebook. I would write fast a furious. I would write about pain, sadness, or embarrassment. I would write about anything that I was feeling at that very moment. I would write poems and poems on anxiety, friends, love, boys, hurt, and happiness. I felt like when I wrote those feelings down on paper, those thoughts and emotions were no longer inside of me. I didn't feel weighed down by my emotions any longer. All of those thoughts and stresses that seemed so significant in my head, looked so much smaller on paper.
Reading and writing are amazing outlets for people struggling with anxiety or dealing with stress. Over the years, many scholars and psychologists alike have seen the enormous benefits of incorporating poetry into therapy. In 1981, The National Association for Poetry Therapy came into existence with the goal of using all forms of literature and language arts to help people release tension, grow in self expression, and to develop an understanding of self and others. Many people have become trained poetry therapists and have dedicated their lives to helping others through a love of language and literature.
Poetry and writing as therapy isn't a new idea. Over the years, many people have used writing as an outlet. Many television shows over the years have also portrayed characters using journals to express their emotions and their feelings. For example, vampire brother Stefan Salvatore in the CW's series The Vampire Diaries can be seen writing in his journal almost every episode about his emotions and life experiences. When his emotions run wild, he runs to his journal to write down his thoughts and to let them all out on paper. When poetry and writing as therapy are portrayed on mass media outlets like this, it brings awareness to the mental and emotional benefits of writing. More and more individuals are noticing the positive aspects of written expression.
Just recently, I came across an old box in my garage. After going through it, I found some old notebooks where I began to read poems that I had written from years ago. There were poems that I had written about sadness, and hurt. Yet, there were also poems about love, joy, and the happy moments in my life. There they were. All of my junior high school anxieties and thoughts were staring me down. At 21 years old and in graduate school, those problems all seemed to distant now. Yet, I couldn't help but think about how much writing helped me get through the tough times. My thoughts were perfectly preserved in that little journal I got from The Dollar Store so many years ago.
Writing poetry, and writing in general, is a huge stress reliever. Yet, at the same time, reading and writing allows us to get a better understanding of who we are as individuals. Writing down emotions allows us to take a step back and look at anxiety and stress from a new point of view. So the next time you find yourself struggling, grab a pen and paper and try out some poetry. As Anne Frank says:
