One of the things that makes poetry especially powerful is that it engages our brains in a somewhat different way. That can make it possible to express things that otherwise aren't easily conveyed, or that are otherwise difficult to hear. Poetry can thus have some really powerful healing properties, especially around emotional and spiritual issues.
In terms of emotional and spiritual wellness, one of the big problems is simply that of shutting down. If you aren't feeling, connecting and being present in your own life you're going to suffer and miss out on a lot of what you need. However, being overwhelmed, distressed beyond anything you can bear, exhausted or ground down from anxiety drives people into protective states of shutting down. It's an entirely reasonable response. We aren't supposed to suffer in the way that modern life hurts us, and the shutdown was supposed to be temporary relief, not a way to live.
Poetry can get in when other things do not. It has the potential to slip softly through our shields. It can come at you sideways in ways you were not ready to block. The way poetry can surprise you can be restorative. Shutting down can only ever be a temporary solution. What we all need in response to pain and difficulty, is things that can act as balm for our hearts, souls and minds.
If you're on the bard path, this is an invitation to think about what you can write that another person might find restorative. While this can be undertaken in a personal and specific sort of way, we can also think about it more broadly. Mary Oliver is a good example of a poet whose understanding of the world is restorative and she's someone many people turn to for comfort. I can also recommend the work of Adam Horozitz, who also has the magical ability to capture aspects of the natural world in his writing and presents those details in powerful ways.
I have some poetry collections in my ko-fi store. I can't promise that they will help everyone, but there's always a chance something in there will resonate, and they are free as ebooks. I hope, that if you are hurting, you are able to find something that comforts you and gives you a way forward. https://ko-fi.com/O4O3AI4T/shop
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