Mental Health Poems that are Powerful and Healing

Healing Positive Mental Health Poems

The topics of mental health and mental illness are frequently addressed in the work of poets and artists because they have personally dealt with it and sought a way to make sense of it. Each of us has unique ways of thinking through and handling challenging situations, and for creative people, this frequently entails placing words, shapes, music, or color on paper. Here, we focus exclusively on poems for mental health.

2. “Wild Geese” by Mary Oliver

This poem is great for those who are depressed because it encourages them to make an effort to interact with those around them. This entails both internal and external reflection. Try to maintain relationships with friends, family, and the natural world. The poem conjures up a striking image of geese flying. The reader should see themselves as one of the poem’s birds, overcoming feelings of melancholy, loneliness, and despair. People can use this poetry to change their perspective and overcome their depressive feelings.

Here is a stanza from this popular poem about mental health and depression:

"Tell me about despair, yours, and I will tell you mine.
Meanwhile the world goes on.
Meanwhile the sun and the clear pebbles of the rain
are moving across the landscapes,
over the prairies and the deep trees,
the mountains and the rivers.
Meanwhile the wild geese, high in the clean blue air,
are heading home again."

Inspiration Mental Health Poems Can Help Combat Growing Mental Health Crisis in America

Mental health poems can teach us about mental health and recovery. Poetry’s ability to furnish comfort and boost one’s spirit during a crisis or periods of stress, trauma, sadness, and grief may have a lot to do with framing and perspective. When people read and listen to motivational mental health poetry, MRIs have shown that certain regions in the brain’s right hemisphere that are linked to reward and emotion light up from being triggered through poetry.

The below mental health statistics clearly demonstrate the importance of powerful positive healing mental health poems.

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Poems About Mental Health Recovery

This poem on mental health by Walter D. Wintle is about ‘the man who thinks he can,’ which espouses a ‘positive mental attitude to life. It’s become an influential motivational poem beloved by self-help gurus and businesspeople.

3. “Thinking” by Walter D. Wintle

Life’s battles don’t always go
To the stronger or faster man;
But sooner or later the person who wins
Is the one who thinks he can!

4. “Sonnet 29” by William Shakespeare

We all experience challenging periods, and the narrator is presently experiencing one. It can be tempting to wonder why something happened or to believe that things cannot possibly get any worse, but it is crucial to concentrate on how things can improve. Then, when we think things will get better, we’ll work to make that happen. This is a great spot for everyone to start because the poem’s narrator expresses how thinking about his girlfriend makes him feel better immediately.

Anxiety Mental Health Poems

Poetry is art, and poets do have the ability to help us understand our inner workings. There are many ways in which mental health poems can help us to achieve, or move towards, good mental health. If you are concerned about your mental health, We Level Up FL encourages you to seek advice and support from a mental health professional immediately.

5. “Aubade” by Philip Larkin

People with depression frequently have trouble falling asleep at night and have anxieties. The ideal way to explore this subject is through the poem “Aubade.” Some persons who experience depression wake up at four in the morning with hopelessness.

Here is a selection from the poem’s mental health message about depression turning into light:

"I work all day, and get half-drunk at night.
Waking at four to soundless dark, I stare.
In time the curtain-edges will grow light.
Till then I see what’s that’s always there"

It’s crucial to understand that the poem can also be comforting. Even if it can be difficult to stay awake at four in the morning, you can use those frightful emotions to produce art. That is what makes this poem so great for people who are dealing with depression.

Strength Positive Mental Health Poems

Poets frequently turned to the written word to express some of life’s most difficult events and emotions, providing readers with a setting in which they might feel understood.

Here is another lovely poem by Mary Oliver, “Don’t Hesitate,” which is ideal for anyone who has previously struggled with sadness or anxiety. Sadly, many individuals cannot enjoy a pleasant moment because they believe it will pass quickly. Many people also have a history of trauma, which could make it hard for them to accept that the happiness they experience is genuine. This poem’s mental health exhorts readers to get their joyous emotions rather than deny them.

Inspirational Mental Health Poems

Emily Dickinson is one of the most celebrated female authors of all time, and her works are famous poems about mental health and are easy for people to relate to. She was particularly well known for writing about depression, and “It Was Not Death, for I Stood Up” is one of Emily Dickinson’s mental health poems.

7.  “It Was Not Death, for I Stood Up” by Emily Dickinson

One stanza from the poem is as follows:

"When everything that ticked – has stopped –
And space stares – all around –
Or Grisly frosts – first Autumn morns,
Repeal the Beating Ground –
But most, like Chaos – Stopless – cool –
Without a Chance, or spar –
Or even a Report of Land –
To justify – Despair."

The poem beautifully captures the experience of sorrow. Although the poetry is dominated by depression, she also expresses emotions of hope. She asserts that despite the difficulty in overcoming them, despair and depression are not the same as death. Instead, even when the world has lost all color, it is crucial to rise up and fight. This poem inspires people to hold onto hope and keep going even when they don’t see any good reason to.

Poem Books About Mental Health

8. ”Neurasthenia” by A. Mary F. Robinson

"I watch the happier people of the house
Come in and out, and talk, and go their ways;
I sit and gaze at them; I cannot rouse
My heavy mind to share their busy days …"

Unfortunately, A. Mary F. Robinson’s poetry books aren’t read more often these days, as seen by this lovely sonnet about neurasthenia. Neurasthenia is an ill-defined medical condition characterized by lassitude, fatigue, headache, and irritability, associated chiefly with emotional disturbance. Although the title indicates that it is about neurasthenia, Robinson’s depiction of feeling isolated from the outside world due to a psychological and neurological condition echoes many depressed people’s experiences of their worst moments.

9. “Wanting To Die” by Anne Sexton

Probably everybody who has ever experienced depression can relate to this poetry. This poem, “Wanting to Die,” is about a person who is having suicidal thoughts. It discusses how it might be challenging for others to understand individuals who deal with suicidal thoughts. The poem ends by describing death, practically waiting for the narrator.

10. “The Soote Season” by Henry Howard

Although the exact date this column was written is unknown, Henry Howard’s poem “The Soote Season” is ideal for those who experience seasonal depression. This indicates that when the sun is not shining as much, many people experience depression.

”Here is a selection from the poem:

"Winter is worn that was the flowers’
And thus I see among these pleasant things
Each care decays, and yet my sorrow springs."

Even if dealing with seasonal affective depression might be difficult for some people, the best way to manage it is to concentrate on the positive aspects of each season. In this manner, no matter the season, individuals can always find something to make them happy.

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Mental Health Recovery Center

Sometimes, the right words can supply us with the inspiration and strength we desperately need. And let’s be honest, inspiration and strength are two vital ingredients for anyone considering mental health recovery. As humans, when things get tough, we tend to fall back into our old (unhealthy) patterns. We desperately need support and encouragement to overcome anxieties, which takes a lot of hard work and personal dedication. When we read a powerful poem about mental health, it makes sense to us. The words resonate with us internally and have a positive impact; they give us the push we need to become our best selves.

At We Level Up FL Treatment Center, individuals with mental health disorders can expect a highly trained and experienced team of professionals dedicated to helping them overcome their challenges.