How poetry helps me explore my mental health
Maintaining my mental health quickly became a priority for me after being diagnosed with Bipolar Disorder in 2020. When I was younger, writing down useful quotes and sayings helped me get through difficult days. During the first lockdown, during a major mental health crisis, these sayings got replaced with poems. An explosion of emotion written down onto paper, often containing truths I hadn’t realised until that moment pen hit paper.
Poetry became my way of communicating with myself when I couldn’t express my emotions in any other way. When they were too much for me to handle, my notebook would become my brain dump. A way for me to sort through my thoughts and feelings. In my case, it was no substitute for therapy or medication, but it helped me in so many ways. From reminding me of my identity after coming out of hospital for mental health to helping me process heartbreak, poetry became a well-needed companion of mine.
Why I want to start a blog
While personal poems help me process my emotions and constructively help me decide my next steps, I want to develop my writing further through this blog. Using research to write about topics that interest me will hopefully develop my interests further, while also gaining insight from other bloggers about their interests along the way. My aim is to explore topics that are close to my heart, including bipolar disorder, women’s rights, and bisexuality. If these topics interest you and you would like to collaborate, or if you have any tips or advice, please get in touch!
I currently write and edit for Student Minds on their blog, as being diagnosed with Bipolar Disorder inspired me to raise awareness of related mental health topics through writing. If you would like to read some of my blog posts I have written as a Blog Sub Editor for Student Minds, head over to https://www.studentmindsblog.co.uk/.