How does words for wellbeing work?

Infoforwellbeing
National
Click on each item to find out more

How does words of wellbeing work? Connection, reframing, putting feelings into words, self-discovery, insights and meaning

 

Video

This short video (Duration 3min 13s), "Bibliotherapy in Action" from Amanda Mills, illustrates several of these aspects of words for wellbeing. It is a cameo of a session with a young woman using poetry to help her with bereavement. You can turn on subtitles using the icon at the foot of the screen if you can't hear everything. A transcript of the conversation is available on the Youtube site.

Connection Reframing Putting feelings into words Self discovery Insight and meaning

1. Workbook exercise (1)

Workbook Workbook Exercise (1)

The Road not Taken

Two roads diverged in a yellow wood,​ ​

And sorry I could not travel both​ ​

And be one traveler, long I stood​ ​

And looked down one as far as I could​ ​

To where it bent in the undergrowth;​ ​

​ ​

Then took the other, as just as fair,​ ​

And having perhaps the better claim,​ ​

Because it was grassy and wanted wear;​ ​

Though as for that the passing there​ ​

Had worn them really about the same

 

And both that morning equally lay​ ​

In leaves no step had trodden black.​ ​

Oh, I kept the first for another day!​ ​

Yet knowing how way leads on to way,​ ​

I doubted if I should ever come back.​ ​ ​ ​

 

I shall be telling this with a sigh​ ​

Somewhere ages and ages hence:​ ​

Two roads diverged in a wood, and I—​ ​

I took the one less traveled by,​ ​

And that has made all the difference.​ ​

 

Robert Frost​

This well-known poem speaks to many people about choices we make in our lives.​ ​

Please read this poem and note down short answers to the following questions.

What do you connect with in this poem?​ ​

What thoughts and feelings come to you as you read it?​ ​

What parts of the Words for Wellbeing elements - connection, reframing, putting feelings into words, self-discovery, insight and meaning - do you recognise in your response to this poem? 

2. Next - to move forward click the blue arrow (if this is not shown click the + sign to the right)

next