04/28/2026
Today is Great Poetry Reading Day.
Yesterday, I talked about my own experience over the last few years with executive stress-and how I handled it in ways that both helped and… didn’t.
Today, I did something a little different.
I used a poem. I know that poetry is not my usual starting point when we’re talking about stress, drinking, and coping-but it actually fits better than most clinical explanations.
Some of you reading might know or remember that I worked at a small, private college prep school for over 10 years. There, I held a few titles including Assistant Principal, School Counselor, English Department Head, and English Teacher. One of my favorite things to *do* there was teach literature. I loved teaching literature because I enjoyed identifying the big themes, ideas, and cultural context embodied in the literature. I was fortunate enough to teach Creative Writing as an elective.
This role kindled a first love for me; poetry. What does any of this have to do with substance abuse recovery? Well, all the things. First, literature covers the range of human experience and emotion. Second, creativity is a healing activity.
In this video, I read The Guest House by Rumi and talk about what’s underneath it.
Because here’s the reality: Most people I work with don’t struggle because they don’t understand what’s happening. They struggle because they don’t have a way to stay with what’s happening without immediately trying to shut it down.
And when your brain is overloaded, stressed, and tired… it will reach for the fastest solution it knows. For a lot of us, that’s been alcohol or other unhealthy coping.
Not because we’re weak or lack willpower but because it works.
Until it doesn’t.
This video is about something different- learning how to pause, notice, and create just a little space before going back to the same patterns.
Watch here:
1 like. "Poetry and Coping"
