Why Bad Poetry Heals | The Happiness Paradox, Perfectionism, and Writing as Mental Fitness

What if writing bad poetry turned out to be one of the most useful things you could do for your mental health? Dave and Luke sit down with Margaret Bryden, a therapist, author, and self-described bad poet, to talk about her debut book How I Understand It: A Bad Poet’s Guide to Mental Health and Resilience.

Margaret draws on her work in private practice and psychiatric hospitals to make the case that poetry is a practice anyone can pick up, not a talent you either have or you do not. She reads three of her poems and unpacks the psychology behind each one, then walks through eight things writing offers that reading on its own cannot. Her argument is that writing does not have to be good to help. It has to be purposeful.

Chapters

• 00:00 Welcome Margaret Bryden. Dave and Luke introduce Margaret, and she shares how she found her way to poetry.
• 11:59 “The Happiness Paradox.” Margaret reads her poem on why chasing happiness directly tends to lead away from it.
• 24:39 “My Many Imperfections.” Margaret reads her poem on perfectionism and self-criticism as a form of control.
• 32:03 “About Not Fitting In.” Margaret reads her poem on being an outsider and letting go of the boxes we build for ourselves.
• 38:15 Eight Ways Writing Heals. Margaret walks through her framework for how writing builds self-awareness.

Links and Resources

• Sign up for NUE: Your Mental Fitness Platform
• ElizaChat: Responsible and Ethical AI Solutions
• Sage Insight Therapy | Website
• Preorder How I Understand It: A Bad Poet’s Guide to Mental Health and Resilience