Mental Health and COVID-19
Currently, for our safety, millions of Americans are being ordered to stay at home in order to avoid catching and spreading COVID-19. With cases in the United States rising a considerable amount every day, there seems to be no end in sight for these stay at home orders to be lifted.
For Illinois, where I am, the stay at home order given by Governor Pritzker will remain until April 30th, but could potentially be extended.
The Anxiety and Depression Association of America has stated that “capsized travel plans, indefinite isolation, panic over scarce re-sources and information overload could be a recipe for unchecked anxiety and feelings of isolation” during COVID-19.
As someone who suffers from depression and severe panic attack disorder, I have found it challenging to remain at home for an extended period of time. Being at home allows my thoughts to run free, hence, amplifying the anxiety I deal with on an everyday basis. Going out and exploring the world gave me a chance to gain a sense of relief from my anxiety, and now that I am confined to a singular space, I have struggled to remain sane.
Workflow – What’s Changed?
I heavily depended on the routine of going to school and waking up at a certain time everyday, so my schedule is completely thrown off. A consistent routine was a way to keep my mind on track, but now that it’s gone, I haven’t had a definite “routine” since the last day I was physically present at school. Instead of going to bed at a decent hour, I find myself staying up late at night, then getting up later in the morning to work. Not only have I have been putting off completing homework assignments until the last minute, but I haven’t found a good time to do some creative writing for myself.
National Poetry Month
For April, the Outreach team at the UCWbL has and continues to celebrate National Poetry Month. Not only have they begun sharing poems for #NationalPoetryMonth on their Twitter and Instagram, but have encouraged all UCWbLer’s to share their poetry in an attempt to showcase poets within the DePaul community.
In an effort to relieve anxious thoughts and keep my mind occupied, I have spent the past couple of weeks writing poetry. I have never considered myself to be a poet. While I am a lover of poetry, sitting down to write it myself has been rare. But, in the midst of our global pandemic, I have discovered that writing poems has not only pushed myself to write in a different style than I normally do, but it relieves anxiety that sits on my shoulders. I have always admired the way poets have shown vulnerability in their work, and I now find that as a writer of poetry, I am able to show my own vulnerability as well.
Using Poetry to Formulate a New Routine
In order to fix this disorganization in my life, I’ve used poetry as a coping mechanism to get myself back on track. I have broken down my poetry writing into two main parts of my day: early morning and mid-afternoon right when the sun is setting. At these specific times, this is when I feel the most anxiety, and spewing my thoughts onto the paper helps both start and end my day on a positive note. Aside from relieving my anxiety, I have found that finding specific times throughout the day to write has created a new “routine” for me. This routine I’ve created for myself has forced me to both go to bed and wake up at a reasonable time – since I enjoying writing in my backyard as the sun is rising. When the sun is setting, after writing, I review my poems from the day, edit them, and head off to bed. For both poetry writing sessions, I spend at least an hour or so writing out my thoughts. As I’ve gone through this process over the past couple of weeks, I have been going to bed at 9 p.m. and waking up around 6 a.m. Incorporating Poetry writing into my schedule has given something to look forward to, and has created an essential structure within my life.
Inspiration from Rupi Kaur
One of my favorite poets, Rupi Kaur, has been live streaming both poetry workshops and open mic sessions on her Instagram. In one of her most recent workshop sessions I attended, she encouraged her viewers to begin starting their poem off with a specific phrase, then guided us on how to write the rest of the poem. This poem she had us create pushed us to dive deep into our emotions in order to effectively write a poem that addressed a person in our life.
Written out by Victor Pang, Kaur provides 10 tips on writing. Most of these tips were shared during her poetry workshop live stream:
- Don’t overthink it.
- Break your lines up.
- Break the rules.
- Decide your font.
- Decide your book cover.
- Embrace complexity.
- Keep it short.
- Be a self-appointed representation.
- Writing is not a craft.
- Believe in yourself.
Many comments flooded the live stream with “I don’t know how to start,” or “I can’t write poetry,” to which Kaur responded with: “Believe in yourself.”
Although I have never viewed myself as a poet, I hadn’t realized that I always had the ability to become one. Doubting myself on the quality of my work and ability to fluidly write ideas has prevented me from being able to put together a complete poem. Now that I’ve been home, turning to poetry has become therapeutic. Writing out these poems and putting my anxieties into words has allowed all my built up emotions to transfer onto paper.
Over the course of these past weeks, I have written more than 20 short and long poems.
Where Should I Write Poetry?
Anywhere that makes you the most comfortable! For me, I’ve tried my best to write poetry outside as much as possible. I find that staying confined to one singular room messes with my head, and writing outdoors gives me more freedom to think creatively.
What Should I Write About?
Anything! There is no wrong answer when it comes to poetry – anything you write, as a poet, is valid. This could be something that stands out to you on a walk around your neighborhood, to sitting down and writing about a moment in your life that has deeply affected you.
If you find yourself struggling with a topic idea, ThinkWritten.com has got you covered. They provide 101 poetry prompts for poetry writers to look at.
Who Are Some Poets I Should Check Out For Inspiration?
Aside from Kaur, here’s poets who myself and others from the UCWbL recommend:
- Courtney Peppernell
- Makenzie Campbell
- Walt Whitman
- William Earnest Henley
- Lewis Carroll
- WB Yeats
- Ellen Everett
- Jack Ray
- C.P. Cavafy
- R.H. Sin
- Dylan Thomas
- Maya Angelou
- Stuart Dybeck
- Shel Silverstein
- Nayyirah Waheed
- Warsan Shire
- Franny Choi
- Yrsa Daley-Ward
- Sarah Kay
- Danez Smith
- Kevin Young
- Robert Frost
- Margaret Atwood
- Sylvia Plath
- Anne Sexton
- Charles Baudelaire
- Pablo Neruda
- Emily Dickinson
- Louise Glück
- And finally, Angelica Heaney, an incredibly talented undergraduate UIUC poet!
Happy National Poetry Month to all!
References
101 Poetry Prompts & Ideas for Writing Poems. ThinkWritten, 2018, thinkwritten.com/poetry-prompts/.101 Poetry Prompts & Ideas for Writing Poems. ThinkWritten, 2018,
Gupta, Aarti. COVID-19 Lockdown Guide: How to Manage Anxiety and Isolation During Quarantine. Anxiety and Depression Association of America, ADAA, Mar. 2020, adaa.org/learn-from-us/from-the-experts/blog-posts/consumer/covid-19-lockdown-guide-how-manage-anxiety-and.
Pang, Victor. Tips On Writing With The Great -Rupi Kaur. Medium, 31 July 2018, medium.com/@victor.comedyuksg/tips-on-writing-with-the-great-rupi-kaur-fde60559fe7.