Mental Wellbeing and Poetry

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Summary

April is National Poetry Month in the USA. Poetry can contribute to our mental wellbeing. Research has demonstrated the benefits of poetry for our health and in healthcare. Poet laureate, Ada Limón, invites everyone to write poetry related to nature. Spending time in nature has benefits for our mental health. In our communities, we can advocate for the preservation of nature and the appreciation of poetry to promote mental wellbeing for all of us.

April is National Poetry Month in the USA. If you don’t believe me, check out the website of the American Academy of Poets, filled with resources for all of us (https://poets.org/national-poetry-month). Let’s talk about mental wellbeing and poetry.

Why This Matters

Mental wellbeing and poetry are good companions.

Research on the benefits of poetry is plentiful. In an informative, well-written article by David Haosen Xiang and Alisha Moon Yi, the link between poetry and healing is explored. The authors delineate three means by which poetry may contribute to healing: reading poetry, writing poetry, and sharing poetry.

Sharing poetry. Ponder that statement a moment. Sharing expressions of oneself and one’s creativity. Social connection comes to mind. Bingo. Haosen Xiang and Moon Yi posit that poetry can assist us to cope with loneliness.

Remember my post on social connectedness and mental wellbeing? Poetry to the rescue.

Please consider reading the article. It includes a succinct review of some of the research related to poetry and its benefits in healthcare:

A Look Back and a Path Forward: Poetry’s Healing Power during the Pandemic

David Haosen Xiang and Alisha Moon Yi (2020). J Med Humanit, 41(4): 603-608.

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7447694

Poetry is Alive

Consider the challenge offered by our national poet laureate, Ada Limón, for National Poetry Month. Write poetry celebrating the natural world.

Step outside of your home, wherever you are, whatever home means to you. Observe the natural world. Be inspired and refreshed.

Write.

A poem.

Lyrics for our earth.

Mother to all of us.

Engaging with nature is another means to illuminate our lives and improve our mental wellbeing. More about that later. Consider the dual benefit of writing poetry related to the natural world.

Please visit Ada Limón’s website to learn more. (https://www.adalimon.net/). A collection of poems about the natural world and edited by Ada will be released this month (You Are Here: Poetry in the Natural World). You can listen to Ada reading some of her poems on the website of The Onbeing Project: https://onbeing.org/author/ada-limon/

Nature and Mental Wellbeing

A body of literature exists demonstrating the benefit of spending time in nature.

A recent scientific article, published in March 2024, examined the effect of a connection to nature on mental health. Yes, the study format was a survey. Notable is the number of persons surveyed: 1034 in Sydney, Australia, and 1050 in Brisbane, Australia.

Chang et al, the authors of the study report, mention a few variables to consider when assessing mental wellbeing in connection with nature. Genetic, cultural, and environmental differences may impact our connection to nature. The strength of one’s connection to nature and one’s exposure to nature were determined to affect one’s mental wellbeing. Connection to nature is like a mediator between a person and the benefit the person derives from spending time in nature.

I appreciate the elegance of the study. The authors tabulated numerical data based on participants’ answers to questions related to connection to nature and questions about depression, anxiety, and stress (scores on rating scales). The authors also analyzed language employed by participants in their answers to an open-ended question about why they visit greenspaces. Participants with a stronger connection to nature used nature related words with greater frequency in their answers to the open-ended question.

The authors are cautious in noting their results indicate a correlation and not causality between mental wellbeing and visiting greenspaces.

To review the article for yourself, see:

https://rdcu.be/dDw7L

A lower connection to nature is related to lower mental health benefits from nature contact.

Chia-chen Chang, Brenda B. Lin, Xiaoqi Feng, Erik Andersson, John Gardner, & Thomas Astell-Burt

Scientific Reports, article 6705. Published 20 March 2024

Mental Wellbeing through Poetry

Poetry offers us the opportunity to use different parts of our brain while reading poetry, writing poetry, and listening to poetry.

Sharing poetry incorporates a social component to our experience of poetry.

Poetry about nature delves into our connection with nature.

An appreciation of poetry may contribute to mental wellbeing.

Why are we hesitating diving into the ocean of poems available to us?

Takeaways: Mental Wellbeing and Poetry

Poetry can benefit us. Poetry can be our partner in achieving mental wellbeing.

Experiencing nature can contribute to our mental wellbeing.

Strategic urban planning which incorporates designated greenspaces and spaces for poetry writing, poetry readings, and poetry sharing is urban planning for the advancement and the wellbeing of human beings. Towns, cities, suburbs, take note.

Call to Action

The coupling of wellbeing with connection to nature and poetry appreciation can start in our homes and our schools.

Advocate for poetry. Advocate for nature.

Protest when ‘mega warehouses’ and other nature devaluing construction projects are presented to the planning committee of your community. Don’t wait until the developers have raped your community of greenspaces. Some of you may commiserate with me. For some places, we waited and the developers ruined our environment. Don’t let this happen to your community.

Go outside. Visit the local state park. Write a poem. Mother Nature will thank you. Your mental wellbeing will shine for all to see.

Wishes for a Poetic World

Companions for a better life for all of us: poetry and mental wellbeing. A creative spirit, a curious mind, a head full of words: you have what it takes. Poetry, birthed by you.

Be well. Be happy. Be awed by nature. Be mindful. Be safe.

Disclaimer: The content of this post is not meant to substitute for a consultation with a mental health professional.

Do not stop taking any medications that are prescribed to you for mental health symptoms. Always consult with the person who prescribes the medications to you before making any adjustments in your medication regimen.

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