“I sing in the shower,” said Ms. Magsamen. “I sing at the top of my lungs on the radio.”
Write a poem
Dr. Clark has continued to write poetry since graduating medical school and has some advice for those interested in trying.
First, banish any thoughts that you’re not creative enough. “I think a lot of times we are our own worst critics,” he said. “I believe anyone can write poetry.”
Start with a simple haiku, suggests Dr. Clark. Haikus consist of only three lines — five syllables in the first and last lines and seven in the middle.
Also consider getting your friends involved — one-to-one advice 2020 paper in the Journal of Medical Humanities which explored the “healing power” of poetry.
As the author writes, “Reading a poem once a week, sharing a poem with a friend, or spending five to ten minutes free writing about a favorite memory, a current idea, a worry or hope, can all work at first. Steps to feel the benefits of poetry.”
