Stressed, Unstressed

There are many ways of dealing with stress: a walk in the park, a cup of tea and a chat with a friend, a long hot bath, or that form of practised mediation which has become known as ‘mindfulness’. In this little book we would like to share another remedy, in fact one of the oldest remedies of all: the reading of poetry. Sometimes, a poem can be a life-saver. Helping us endure some of our most stressful moments and painful experiences, poetry tells us we are not alone. Returned again and again over the centuries by great imaginations the themes of love, death, memory, the loss of loved ones or the evocations of the natural world have inspired some of our best-known and loved poetry and some of our greatest poets. At its best, poetry can act as a universal panacea a place to turn in moments of crisis, reflection or loneliness. Stressed, Unstressed harvests an array of poems designed to console, comfort and provide some much-needed clarity amidst the chaos of day-to-day life. A selection of new poems and old, enduring classics and forgotten gems, compiled by academics Paula Byrne, author of The Real Jane Austen and Mad World: Evelyn Waugh and the Secrets of Brideshead, and Jonathan Bate, author of Ted Hughes: An Authorised Life and The Genius of Shakespeare, 'Stressed Unstressed' invites you to join the thousands of others who have read, remembered and loved these poems - to form a very special community. Consider it your very own bibliotherapy.