Learn how poetry can help your brain handle stress, process feelings, and spark insight.

Summary: This episode of The Science of Happiness is part of our series Using Art As Medicine. We explore poetry, one of the oldest artforms, powers our brains, calms our nervous systems, and reduces anxiety by opening doors into our psyche. Whether you're reading or writing it, elements like rhythm, metaphor and rhyme improve memory, cognition and even self-esteem.

This episode is made possible through the generous support of the John Templeton Foundation.

How To Do This Practice:

1. Find Your Moment: Notice the time of day when you feel closest to yourself. It might be early morning before the world wakes up, or another quiet pocket of time when your thoughts are unfiltered and your heart is open.
2. Set the Scene: Create an atmosphere that supports you. Play music that matches your mood or inspires imagination. Let it be soft and inviting, not distracting, just enough to signal to your body that this is a sacred moment.
3. Choose Your Tools: Use what feels natural. Journal, laptop, scrap paper, napkin, the format doesn’t matter. What matters is that you’re ready to begin.
4. Write Without Interruption: Set a timer for 5 to 10 minutes. Let your pen or fingers move freely. Don’t stop, don’t edit, and don’t worry about making sense, just see what comes.
5. Welcome the Unsaid: Allow what’s hidden, half-formed, or surprising to emerge.
6. Let It Be What It Is: When the timer ends, pause. Don’t rush to interpret or fix your words. You’ve just made contact with something real, let that be enough.

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YRSA DALEY-WARD is an award-winning poet and author. Her debut novel, The Catch, comes out June 3rd.
Learn more about Yrsa here: https://yrsadaleyward.squarespace.com/

Pre-order her book here: https://tinyurl.com/yanw6bb5

DR. SUSAN MAGSAMEN is a Professor of Neurology at John Hopkins, and author of the New York Times bestseller, Your Brain On Art: How the Arts Transform Us.
Learn more about Dr. Magsamen here: https://tinyurl.com/33v8m5md

Read Dr. Magsamen’s book here: https://tinyurl.com/426k87f2

Related The Science of Happiness episodes:

Using Art As Medicine Series: https://tinyurl.com/k3mneupx

How Art Heals Us: https://tinyurl.com/yc77fkzu

How Awe Helps You Navigate Life’s Challenges: https://tinyurl.com/2466rnm4

Related Happiness Breaks:

How To Awaken Your Creative Energy: https://tinyurl.com/4fknd8ev

Making Space For You: https://tinyurl.com/yk6nfnfv

A Self-Compassion Meditation For Burnout: https://tinyurl.com/485y3b4y

Tell us about your experience with poetry. Email us at happinesspod@berkeley.edu or follow on Instagram @HappinessPod.

Help us share The Science of Happiness! Leave us a 5-star review on Apple Podcasts and share this link with someone who might like the show: https://tinyurl.com/2p9h5aap

Transcription: https://tinyurl.com/y9r9dyzd

Spring Washam guides us on a gentle visualization to help you tap into the joy, wonder, and possibility that creativity brings.

How To Do This Practice:

1. Settle In: Sit comfortably, close your eyes, and take a few deep breaths to ground yourself in the present moment.
2. Invite Creativity: Silently welcome the creative energy of the universe, setting the intention to open to inspiration and joy.
3. Visualize the Light Channel: Imagine a tube of light running from the base of your spine through the crown of your head, connecting you to the sun, stars, and infinite creative source.
4. Feel the Flow: Picture this light pouring into your body, filling every cell with energy, possibility, and imagination.
5. Focus on the Heart: Shift your attention to your heart center, letting it glow with passion, and affirm: “My heart is the source of my creativity. I trust it.”
6. Anchor and Affirm: Feel your body grounded and open, breathe deeply, and declare: “I am ready. I am creative. I am a vessel of joyful expression.”

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This episode is made possible through the generous support of the John Templeton Foundation.

Today’s Happiness Break Guide:

Spring Washam, is a meditation teacher based in Oakland, California. She is also the author of the book, The Spirit of Harriet Tubman: Awakening from the Underground. Learn more about Spring and her new book: https://www.springwasham.com/
Follow Spring on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/springwasham/
Check out Spring’s YouTube channel: https://tinyurl.com/22njyd29

Related Happiness Break episodes:

Sketching Serenity: https://tinyurl.com/mpv3d7ey

Making Space For You: https://tinyurl.com/yk6nfnfv

A Meditation to Inspire a Sense of Purpose: https://tinyurl.com/54uuvh7z

Related Science of Happiness episodes:

Why Going Offline Might Save Us: https://tinyurl.com/e7rhsakj

Are You Following Your Inner Compass: https://tinyurl.com/y2bh8vvj

How Art Heals Us: https://tinyurl.com/yc77fkzu

Follow us on Instagram: @ScienceOfHappinessPod

We’d love to hear about your experience with this practice! Share your thoughts at happinesspod@berkeley.edu or use the hashtag #happinesspod.

Find us on Apple Podcasts: https://tinyurl.com/2p9h5aap

Help us share Happiness Break! Leave a 5-star review and share this link: https://tinyurl.com/2p9h5aap

Transcription: https://tinyurl.com/4fknd8ev

We explore how making art can ground us in the present and be a space of healing, connection, and joy.

Summary: We explore how creative expression can support emotional resilience and physical healing in the face of life’s hardest moments and how simple acts of art-making— whether painting, drawing, or doodling—can offer grounding, release, and joy.

This episode is made possible through the generous support of the John Templeton Foundation.

Scroll down for a transcription of this episode.

Guests:

SHABNAM PIRYAEI is an award-winning writer, filmmaker, and teacher.Learn more about Shabnam here: https://shabnampiryaei.com/

Follow Shabnam on Instagram here: @shabnampiryaei

DR. GIRIJA KAIMAL is a leading researcher in art therapy who has studied how creative expression supports people.

Learn more about Dr. Kaimal here: https://girijakaimal.com/

Related The Science of Happiness episodes:

Why Grownups Should Be Playful Too: https://tinyurl.com/4r85dc7m

Why Going Offline Might Save Us: https://tinyurl.com/e7rhsakj

How Awe Helps You Navigate Life’s Challenges: https://tinyurl.com/2466rnm4

Related Happiness Breaks:

Sketching Serenity: https://tinyurl.com/mpv3d7ey

Making Space For You: https://tinyurl.com/yk6nfnfv

A Self-Compassion Meditation For Burnout: https://tinyurl.com/485y3b4y

Tell us about your experience creating art. Email us at happinesspod@berkeley.edu or follow on Instagram @HappinessPod.

Help us share The Science of Happiness! Leave us a 5-star review on Apple Podcasts and share this link with someone who might like the show: https://tinyurl.com/2p9h5aap

Transcription: https://tinyurl.com/yc77fkzu