Poetry has always been an instinctive strategy that I have used to release my feelings. I wasn’t aware of how much I was using poetry as self-therapy until recently. When faced with difficult times, I use poetry to make sense of the situation and through writing about it, I am able to funnel my anger, sadness or anxiety into an outlet that helps me to let go of the negative energy I’m holding. I always feel somewhat lighter afterwards and at times when I read it back, it can evoke an emotion I didn’t realise I had, and I’m able to fully process whatever situation I am dealing with.
Deep poetry with sad themes certainly flows out of me more naturally but I do really enjoy writing humourous verse too. Usually about real experiences that have occurred. They offer a great reminder of something amusing that has happened, that perhaps you’d ordinarily end up forgetting about.
Both through writing and reading poetry, I feel a real sense of relief either through pouring out strong emotions or by hearing that others feel the same and experience the world in similar ways. Poetry can be so relatable and when it’s not, it offers an education into the way in which others think and feel and that is always a good thing.
Overall, by incorporating poetry into my life I feel it’s helped me to grow empathically and supported me through some of the toughest moments of my life. More recently poetry has had a whole new meaning with ‘Open Door,’ and through embarking on this new venture I am so grateful to be sharing the wonderful words of so many other writers and building such a strong community of like-minded people.