10 Poetry Books About Mental Health

A great article from the wonderfully named book website Book Riot here. On the site the author Chris M. Arnone says of their choice. ‘The final result is a list of great poetry books, all focusing on different aspects of mental health, and most are from poets who are relatively unknown to readers.’ To visit click button below.

Write so only you see your poetry.

Step out of the idea that poetry is written to be read by other people. Write so only you see it. The benefits start with you thinking about some thing you want to write about. You commit an intentional act. All art is intentional and you can write with the intetion to to keep your art making private. The next benefit is you see your words, your ideas, your thoughts as if on the stage of the empty page. You become the audience to your own drama. You have permission to be a queen.

This will not open a can of worms.

The act of writing will not cure your ails, nor will it unlease a hidden demon. Shaun McNiff, Arts Therapist, says the benefits of art making emerge out of many small acts of witnessing. In writing and seeing your words you witness yourself. They say mad people talk to themselves. This is not true. Sane people talk to themselves because they realise it is the world that is mad. In talking to yourself you get a sensible converation. Try and remember to write when you feel like it or need it. Don’t sweat if you don’t write for a week. Get a book or an app to write in and use it at will.

Treat your art based outing as if a journey.

On the journey you will spend time on a well trodden path or go cross-country, you may bushwhack. The good days are the trodden path. The anxious days are when it your life goes off-track and into the wilderness. When you are in the wilderness, leave trail markers. For a trail marker you clip a tree with an axe to show where you have been, to better find your way back should you get lost. These markers will be your private writings. They are little clips of words that mark your trail. This is what you put in your book or app.

Read back what you wrote in privacy.

Your word clips, your poems, show you where you have been. You witness yourself. This may help you descide where next to go. Commit to privacy by buying a notebook with a closure, or close it with a hair band or elastic band. Use this act to reinforce your intention. This is intended for your eyes only. When you read the content of your book, just observe what you see. Make, where possible, no judgement. If you do. Write it down and witness your judgement. This is like meditation. It is Intention, attention, attitude. The intention is to write, the attention is your witnessing, the attitude is one of witnessing yourself not beating yourself up.