Dear stoics,

We're still in Stress Awareness Month, but this week we want to take a different, and a little unexpected, approach. Let's talk about poetry.

When we think about managing stress, we usually think about the practical tips — sleep, breathing, and so on. But there's another way that science has proved works wonders for stress management: the act of putting words to feeling. That's what poetry does.

Researchers at Harvard Medical School found that poetry helps fight feelings of loneliness and anxiety — and that its benefits can be experienced even in solitude, which makes it one of the most accessible tools. You only need a physical or digital space to write on, and a moment to express yourself.

More recent research found that poetry-based practices — whether reading or writing — produced reductions in anxiety, depressive symptoms, and stress across diverse groups of people. It’s confirmed then: poetry helps people deal with loneliness and makes them feel less anxious.

Reading poetry bypasses the rational mind and speaks directly to how you're feeling. A good poem can make you feel less alone. It says that someone else has been through what you're experiencing now.

Writing poetry is a whole new level. It gives your stress somewhere to go. Instead of spinning in your head, it goes on a page. You get to look at it, shape it, and discover its beauty. Externalising the internal is one of the oldest tricks in the emotional-health manual. Writing makes you slow down, choose words carefully, and notice what is important. And that is an act of mindfulness.

Which brings us to Stoic. Here, you will find two of our guided journals — On Odes and On Haiku. You can use them as helpful therapeutic exercises.

Don’t worry, Stoic is not asking you to be a poet! Just try something new, write something short and honest. That's the whole practice. And if you've been carrying some stress this month, these journals might be exactly the right place to put it. Who knows, you might surprise yourself.

PS: You will find the journals here.

Yours truly,
The Stoic App Team

We don't always know we're healing until we look back and realise something has changed. Like when the weight that used to follow you has finally gotten lighter. You are healing — not all at once, but gradually, in ways that are easy to miss if you're not paying attention. This week, we're paying attention.

Each day until Sunday, a new prompt on the subject of healing will be waiting for you in the app. Write whatever comes to you. Even a few lines are enough.

Healing doesn't need to be witnessed by anyone, but sometimes writing about it helps you see the progress you make and celebrate it.