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Refuge from negative emotions and loneliness is offered by a certain art of letters, which has served as a release for several aspiring artists during the pandemic
“Poetry is not the release of feelings, but the escape from feelings. It is not the expression of personality but the escape from personality. But one must have feelings and a personality to want to escape from them” the great poet TS Eliot had said about poetry, with the results of a newer study at least partially confirming his words.
According to a newer study, published in the Journal of Poetry Therapy, via poetry people can escape feelings of loneliness or isolation and reduce feelings of anxiety and depression. This applied both to the reading of a poem and to the creative process or the sharing of poetic creations.
The research, carried out by the University of Plymouth and Nottingham Trent University, was based on 400 people and concluded that there was a “proven positive impact on the well-being” of those who started sharing, discussing and writing poetry as a means of coping with the COVID-19 pandemic , who were experiencing common mental health symptoms, as well as those suffering from grief.
The sample of people used were users of the website poetryandcovid.com (now archived as poetryandcovidarchive.com), who used the platform to share their own poetry and/or read the poetry of others. A little bit more than half (51%) of respondents stated that their poetry reading and/or writing helped them cope with feelings of loneliness or isolation, while for an extra 50% helped with feelings of anxiety and depression.
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In addition, approx one third (34%) felt that participating in the site helped them feel “less stressed”, 24% he felt he helped them “feel more capable of managing their problems”the 17% expressed that he allowed them to cope with grief, while the 16% stated that he helped them with the current mental health symptoms;
More than 100,000 people from 128 countries visited the site, which contained more than 1,000 poems by more than 600 authors, most of which were submitted by aspiring poets themselves.
«Poetry has been a lifeline throughout the pandemic, both reading and writing it, (sometimes a tightrope and sometimes a thin cord)” notes one study participant. Another wrote: “I am looking to submit my poetry related to my father’s recent death from coronavirus. I want to capture some of the conflicting emotions I’ve been feeling since news of several promising vaccines were reported so close to his death. I hope the piece connects with others who have lost loved ones, but also gives hope to those who are isolated and waiting for their loved ones to come home. This is my first poetry work».
Co-researcher Dr Rory Waterman, Associate Professor of Modern and Contemporary Literature at Nottingham Trent University, said: “It is possible that connecting poetry to a community platform, in this case the website, had a particularly positive effect on the relationship between poetry and well-being, as it is a way to bring people together, after the ice has already been broken. Possibly, of course, other ways of creative and expressive writing could positively affect people’s health in a similar way. The wider arts, including the visual and performing arts, likely have similar potential” ends up.