Therapy Through Poetry by Julia Young

Therapy Through Poetry by Julia Young

It is just great being hypersensitive to absolutely everything.

The most minuscule of things can immediately set off a switch; 

And no, this is not just a light switch, it is a lever that opens a dam.

Everything is released all at once, and there is no going back once the deed is done.

Water comes pouring like a tidal wave, a tsunami.

Yet this wave does not wipe out cities,

It does not make the headlines on the news, nor does it make the ones in the newspapers;

It doesn’t even make it’s way into the circulation of local gossip, not even to the dinner table.

This wave is one that floods your brain;

One that blows the fuses of neurological currents, not electrical ones.

It drowns you in your thoughts, not others in water.

It knocks down your confidence, wrecking your credence instead of wrecking buildings.

Yes it is remarkable to be vulnerable to such microscopic things;

It is just delightful to be born with the fragility of a flower.

I’d had an extremely frustrating day the day I wrote the above poem. All my anger, frustration, and stress was balled up inside of me, and I needed some way to relieve the tension. Although I’d usually just sigh and groan and let my feelings out through physical methods such as curling up in a fetal position or crying, I thought to myself, why not write a poem about it…. I knew I was going to have to write poems for my English poetry assignment anyways. And so I began writing. Surprising to me, the words flowed out of my mind and onto my computer screen rapidly; it felt organic and natural for me to be expressing my feelings in such a way. I felt as if I was ranting… but in an artistic way. When discussing my thoughts or problems with my friends, I struggle to really express how I am truly feeling; no matter how hard I try to describe how I feel, I never feel like they truly get it. Yet, through this poetry, I knew exactly how I was feeling— I was completely in tune and aware of my emotions, which is a situation I had never really experienced before. 

What I am trying to say is, through being forced to write poetry for class, I discovered a new form of therapy for myself. When I am in distress, I can just open up my laptop and start typing. Writing poetry provides me with almost immediate relief when I’m feeling down, making significant changes in my mood. 

To anyone who struggles with becoming in tune with their emotions, I highly recommend trying to write poetry about them. You never know what might work for you, and I think poetry is worth a try.