I have always had a really difficult time finding healthy and productive ways to deal with stress. Sometimes everything feels too overwhelming and not worthwhile. A paper becomes a daunting task, family issues make themselves into monsters that cloud your mind, and insecurities run ramped all day and all night. It’s hard to quiet an overactive and muddled mind.
However, I have always loved to read and write. Specifically poetry. During high school I turned this passion of mine into a stress relieving mechanism. Whenever I felt overwhelmed or on the verge of blowing up, I would sit myself down and force myself to write my feelings into poetry. I would sometimes write them into haikus or nonets, or just simply write without rhyme or reason onto a page. Or type out whatever I was going through on my notes app on my phone or laptop.
This method has always helped me relieve my stress and this year I have made it my mission to write a small poem every single day. Call it a new years resolution of sorts. The only one I have ever tried to keep going that is. So far I have only forgotten to write on two days and this process has helped me shake off the tiny things during the day that bother me and that I tend to internalize.
I encourage any and everyone to try this out. Just grab a pen and paper and write when you feel overwhelmed. There is no rhyme scheme you have to follow, no specific syllable count per line. This process is judgement free and personal. This is purely for whoever decides to try it. I like to look back on some of the poems I have written and see how far I’ve come. For me they are a testament to how I am capable of overcoming obstacles in my life and how I have already done so.
Sometimes prompts help get people thinking if they have trouble doing so right off the bat.
Here are two prompts to leave for anyone who wants to try this out:
What is one thing that has happened today that made you happy or smile? Why did it make you smile or become happy?
What is one thing that happened today that made you sad or angry? Why did it make you sad or angry?