Creative writing and poetry allows you to access your emotions and unlock some of the pain following a bereavement helping with managing grief.
Whether you are the writer or the reader, the written word can be the tonic you need to help you through the grieving journey.
Who is this guide for?
Reading time:
3 mins
Why the written word is so important
When we were children, a kind word could ease most of life’s hurts and injustices.
Similarly, after a loved one dies, every sympathy card means so much to us. Regardless of whether it contains a stock phrase of condolence, a deeply personal message or a poem.
Every word matters.
How words can release the hurt of bereavement when managing grief
Words have the ability to shape our experiences and perception, especially when they speak directly to our subconscious mind. The subconscious is more in touch with our emotions than our rational, logical sense of self. That is why when we grieve it is that tender, vulnerable self that can get locked away.
Words have a power and magic all of their own.
The impact of words on the mind, emotions and body
Although the pain of your grief may be emotional or psychological in origin, it is every bit as real as physical pain and potentially as detrimental to your health.
The language that you use to talk about this pain also has an impact on your well-being.**
Ways to write your pain and longing
Knowing all this, you can also use words creatively to help process your own grief. ***
A diary or journal gives us the opportunity to say how you really feel, warts and all, without having to consider how an audience would receive it. Meaning you can talk about regret, anger, and the loneliness of loss. Usually topics that may be hard for others to hear, however much they want to support us.
Creative writing can be a letter to a loved one who has died, expressing your profound sense of loss or detailing everyday events and thoughts that you long to share with them face-to-face. This can bring you comfort and release, helping you to make sense of life’s greatest mystery: how to live fully in the shadow of death.
The power of poetry to help you when managing your grief
Poetry, in particular, can help you keep love at the centre of your grief and make it beautiful on the page. You can choose whether the words remain a private treasure or a keepsake to share with others.
Through the use of metaphor and imagery let you capture the essence of your loss in imaginative ways. The right words, however few, can speak volumes.
There is sorry and beauty in poetry.
How to write about grief and loss
There’s no right or wrong way to grieve, and the same is true for creative writing. You should allow yourself the freedom to express what you need to. Trying to resist making changes right away.
This allows you to write authentically putting you in touch with your own needs and helping you come to terms with your loss, one word at a time.
Write from the heart.
Useful RESOURCES
Poetry Pharmacy
The world's first walk-in Poetry Pharmacy in Shropshire will prescribe and dispense the stanzas you need to lift your spirits.
Consultations are also available by phone and email.
36 High St, Bishops Castle SY9 5BQ
poetrypharmacy.co.uk
Sources:
* The Lancet: Formulas for grief The need to grieve
** The Conversation: Academic source of news and views Talking about pain
** BBC World Service How doctors' words can make you ill
*** Grist The healing power of the written word
