It doesn’t care how tough or strong you are, it doesn’t care about your age, race or gender. What this poem teaches us: That mental illness has no bias. Written for Mind as part of Mental Health Awareness Week 2018, this poem by Akin Olunsanya asks men to stop ignoring the reality of mental illness and find the courage to speak up. Depression, bipolar personality disorder, My soul is burdened, seems like I’m in the darkĪnxiety. That resilience is part and parcel of being human and no matter how tough things get, we can almost always find the power we need to come back. What this poem teaches us: That we’re more powerful than we know. In this poem Alex is in awe of how resilient we can be, despite the experiences we may endure. ResilienceĪuthor and wellness consultant Alex Elle often shares her words of wisdom through social media, owning a rare insight into the true nature of the human spirit. And that doing what we can to light up our cave through self-care can help us survive the darkness. What this poem teaches us: That depression can feel different to everybody and even boring at times. Here she eloquently describes the effect her depression had on her and adds a touch of lightness at the end as she reminds all of us to light up the cave. Poet Anne Sexton was known for her ‘confessional’ verse, getting personal in her writing and baring her soul to her readers. Find out more about how you can support your partner with their mental health. ![]() What this poem teaches us: That everyone deserves love and that being in a relationship with someone with mental illness can be trying and requires a great deal of patience and understanding. In this poem Neil describes falling in love, being heartbroken after a relationship ends and how OCD accompanies them on every step of the journey. Slam poet Neil Hilbon is known for his passionate performances and knack for expressing the realities of living with mental illness. (Extract - see full poem performed below) When you have Obsessive Compulsive Disorder, you don’t really get quiet moments.īut when I saw her, the only thing I could think about was the hairpin curve of her lips. OCDĪll the tics, all the constantly refreshing images just disappeared. Those in our community care about us and are happy to support us if we let them in - we were never meant to do this alone. What this poem teaches us: That it’s OK to ask for help. There are so many to choose from that teach us about the realities of living with these things taking up space in our lives, but this one felt like a timely reminder to include. Poet and illustrator Rupi Kaur has tackled a variety of mental health topics in her books Milk and Honey and The Sun and Her Flowers, including sexual assault, toxic relationships, addiction and depression. If we’re present to take part in your happiness When the world comes crashing at your feet Poem (unnamed) from The Sun and Her Flowers If we can learn to control our primitive, scared brain more often and listen to our inner owl, we’ll enjoy a more peaceful journey. What this poem teaches us: Internal conflict is normal and human. The wise owl within all of us is seen here fighting with the chimp who seems determined to make the situation worse, despite its fears of the situation worsening. ![]() ![]() This poem by clinical hypnotherapist and psychotherapist Jo Camacho beautifully articulates the internal battle many of us face when the more primitive part of our brain (the chimp brain) takes control. Then the owl stepped in and grabbed a pailĪnd the chimp would start to get quite cross The chimp would jump up and rock the boat The chimp and the owl would wrestle at night Large tears would roll right down his face The ones we’ve listed here were picked because they have an underlying lesson all of us can learn from, including understanding the realities of relationships with mental illness in tow, the power of community and how resilient we are. Here we want to look specifically at poetry and with so many incredible poems out there on the subject, it’s difficult to choose which ones to share. We all have our own ways of processing and coping with difficult times, and for creatives, this often involves putting words, shapes, music or colour onto paper. Choosing and rearranging words on a page, they give us the language we didn’t know we needed to describe our inner world.Ĭreatives and poets are renowned for using the subject of mental illness in their work, often because they’ve experienced it themselves and need a way to make sense of it. Just like artists effortlessly pick and mix colour on a canvas to create something beautiful, so do poets. Here we look at the way seven writers share, reveal and teach us about mental health through their poetry
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