It is Sunday and I try to give my readers something to think about….this Sunday it is the problems that may occur during the holiday season.

Next week we will be entering the season, for some, is not a good thing…..sadness and depression can claim a few minds for various reasons…..mental problems like loneliness, sadness, a massive depression….but there is a way to ward off these feelings.

The referenced article is about the Covid isolation but I feel it could be used to battle the holiday blues as well.

Reading, writing and sharing poetry can help people cope with loneliness or isolation and reduce feelings of anxiety and depression, a new study shows.

Research by the University of Plymouth and Nottingham Trent University has found that many people who took to sharing, discussing and writing poetry as a means to deal with the COVID-19 pandemic experienced “demonstrable positive impact on their well-being.”

The findings are based on a survey of 400 people which showed that poetry helped those experiencing common mental health symptoms as well as those suffering from grief. The research is published in the Journal of Poetry Therapy.

It was carried out with registered users of the website poetryandcovid.com (now archived as poetryandcovidarchive.com), who used the website to share their own poetry and/or read other people’s.

Just over half (51%) of respondents indicated that reading and/or writing poetry had helped them deal with feelings of loneliness or isolation, and for a further 50% it had helped with feelings of anxiety and depression.

Around a third (34%) felt that engaging with the website helped them feel “less anxious,” 24% felt that it helped them “feel better able to handle my problems,” 17% expressed that it enabled them to deal with issues relating to bereavement, while 16% said it assisted with ongoing mental health symptoms.

“These results demonstrate the substantial power of poetry,” said Principal Investigator Anthony Caleshu, Professor of Poetry and Creative Writing at the University of Plymouth. “Writing and reading poetry, as well as engaging with the website, had a considerable positive impact on the well-being of the participants during the COVID-19 pandemic.

https://medicalxpress.com/news/2023-11-poetry-people-cope-loneliness-isolation.html

I know there are many writers here on WP and I thought they might like to see that their efforts could be useful to others.

During this seasonal ‘blues’ there are other ways to cope (for lack of a better word)….

As the start of a week, survey participants were asked how much they agree with the statement, “I have felt able to impact, influence, or play an active role in how happy I generally feel.” A week later, they were asked the same question, and the difference was remarkable. Participants’ level of agreement with the statement jumped 27%, according to researchers of the BIG JOY Project. At the same time, participants saw a 26% boost in emotional well-being. So what had changed? Over the course of a week, participants were asked to perform “micro-acts” of joy, whether that was setting aside time to meditate or offering to do a favor for a friend. It was clear that these small acts could make a big difference, just as the Dalai Lama and Archbishop Desmond Tutu have proclaimed.

Participants who committed to performing these tiny acts of joy each day for a week saw a 23% boost in positive emotions, including hope, optimism, wonder, and amusement, while 30% more participants felt content with their relationships. There was also a 34% increase in participants’ level of agreement with the statement, “I am in control, on top of things, like I have been coping well.” Even sleep improved. “We’re really excited,” project leader Emiliana Simon-Thomas, an expert on the neuroscience and psychology of compassion, kindness, and gratitude at the Greater Good Science Center (GGSC) at the University of California-Berkeley, tells NPR. “There are statistically significant, measurable changes [including] greater well-being, better coping, less stress, [and] more satisfaction with relationships.”

More than 70,000 people in over 200 countries have taken part, per NPR—and you can, too. Participants simply fill out a survey, then agree to perform daily activities shown to boost well-being. They might pay a stranger’s bill, congratulate a colleague on a promotion, choose to look on the bright side (positive reframing), or watch an awe-inspiring video. The preliminary results suggest that by acting intentionally, participants can feel they have greater control over their thoughts and emotions. Researchers plan to compare the results from willing participants with those from a control group assigned to take part. In the meantime, they say we can all learn to exert more control over our happiness, even amid suffering. As the GGSC notes, per the Deseret News: “Joy is an inside job.”

Hopeful these will help[ if you get the seasonal ‘blues’.

Have a wonderful Sunday and as always….be well and be safe….

I Read, I Write, You Know

“lego ergo scribo”