Writing for Stress Relief

We are all stressed. The world is chaotic, busy, full of screens and cellphones, demands from children, aging parents, and close friends coming apart at the seams. And the endless march of lessons and practices--violin, piano, soccer, softball, yoga, and the recurring shame of that unused gym membership. And money troubles. And sickness. 

In all this swirl of activity and uncertain emotions and circumstances, stress can overwhelm us. And can become anxiety. Can become sadness. Depression. Isolation. 

A creative outlet, like Writing, can help you reduce your stress and put your life into focus. In this class we will focus on self-expression. There are no writing "rights" or "wrongs." We will not focus on correct grammar or spelling. Instead, you will be encouraged to honor yourself, just as you are, and to give yourself caring and compassion.

This is a no-pressure class. If you want to share your writing, you can. If you want to keep your writing private, that's okay. There will be no criticism of your work. You are free to just be yourself.

We will provide pen and paper. Please bring your own notebooks, tablet or laptop if you prefer.

About the teacher:

Rebecca Cook writes poetry and prose and taught English and Creative Writing at UTC for over ten years. Her work has been published in The Georgia Review, New England Review, and many other journals and magazines. She has published four collections of poems, a novel, and is comfortable writing and teaching in any genre. She lives in Chattanooga, TN, where she spends much of her time typing and looking out the skylight at the birds.