The lockdowns and restrictions of the past two years have been difficult for many of us, preventing us from seeing loved ones and causing stress and anxiety. Looking after our own mental health and supporting one another has never been so important.
And that’s exactly what people we support in Stourbridge have been doing. A group called ‘The Kindness’ have been meeting regularly to express their feelings, reflect on the pandemic and support one another.
‘It’s not good to bottle all your feelings up,’ says Michelle, ‘it’s better to share it with a friend and let it all out.’
Michelle and many of her friends know what it’s like to feel lonely or isolated, having experienced it before due to their disabilities. They reflected that the pandemic may have been the first time many people in society experienced what loneliness and isolation can feel like.
‘I know what it’s like to be lonely. It feels horrible, and it’s heartbreaking, not being able to see your family,’ says Michelle.
Exploring feelings through poetry
Michelle and her friends have been using creativity to express their feelings. During one of their meetings, whilst reflecting on their own experiences of feeling isolated due to their disabilities, they wrote the poem below together. We think it’s beautiful, we hope you do too.
Don’t shut me out
Open the door
I want to be involved
more and more
Could you connect with
a person like me?
I still have abilities and talents you see.
Maybe the pandemic made you see;
How truly lonely, isolation can be.
This poem was written by the Stourbridge Co-production Group. Michelle, Sandra, Sharon, Steven, Tom and Sarah.
