{"id":67992,"date":"2024-11-26T20:59:08","date_gmt":"2024-11-26T20:59:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/altcardiff\/?p=67992"},"modified":"2024-12-02T12:40:52","modified_gmt":"2024-12-02T12:40:52","slug":"writing-helped-break-down-his-struggle-with-mental-health","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/altcardiff\/2024\/11\/26\/writing-helped-break-down-his-struggle-with-mental-health\/","title":{"rendered":"Writing helped this local poet break down his struggle \u2018one rhyme at a time\u2019"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Welsh poet and rapper Duke Al looks back on how he began to understand his experiences of suffering ahead of hosting mental health story telling event<br><br><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"973\" height=\"547\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/altcardiff\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/13\/2024\/11\/Duke-Feature-1.jpg\" alt=\"Duke Al writing poetry about his struggle with mental health\" class=\"wp-image-68005\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/altcardiff\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/13\/2024\/11\/Duke-Feature-1.jpg 973w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/altcardiff\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/13\/2024\/11\/Duke-Feature-1-300x169.jpg 300w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/altcardiff\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/13\/2024\/11\/Duke-Feature-1-770x433.jpg 770w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/altcardiff\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/13\/2024\/11\/Duke-Feature-1-293x165.jpg 293w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 973px) 100vw, 973px\" \/><noscript><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"973\" height=\"547\" src=\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/altcardiff\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/13\/2024\/11\/Duke-Feature-1.jpg\" alt=\"Duke Al writing poetry about his struggle with mental health\" class=\"wp-image-68005\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/altcardiff\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/13\/2024\/11\/Duke-Feature-1.jpg 973w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/altcardiff\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/13\/2024\/11\/Duke-Feature-1-300x169.jpg 300w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/altcardiff\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/13\/2024\/11\/Duke-Feature-1-770x433.jpg 770w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/altcardiff\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/13\/2024\/11\/Duke-Feature-1-293x165.jpg 293w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 973px) 100vw, 973px\" \/><\/noscript><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Duke Al takes up his pen and starts to write in local cafe. Image: Amelia Jones<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cI\u2019m married to the pen, the ring binds to the page, cause poetry and rhyme saved my life, pen is sharper than a blade.\u201d In this striking segment from Duke Al Durham\u2019s poem, he reflects on poetry becoming his outlet after being diagnosed with <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nhs.uk\/conditions\/type-1-diabetes\/\">type 1 diabetes<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nhs.uk\/mental-health\/conditions\/obsessive-compulsive-disorder-ocd\/overview\/\">obsessive compulsive disorder.<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The 30-year-old artist from Dinas Powys, who prefers to go by his artist name Duke Al, does not shy away from addressing the stigmas surrounding his physical and mental health.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Ahead of Poet Treehouse, his open mic style <a href=\"https:\/\/ocdgamechangers.com\/events\/open-mic-in-cardiff-wales\/\">mental health storytelling event<\/a>, on 1 December. He told Alt.Cardiff about his experience with intrusive thoughts as a teenager, leading to him being diagnosed with OCD.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>His gaze became steady and direct as he said: \u201cThe intrusive thoughts attack your ethics, values and morals, and the things and people that you love.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>However, Duke Al was not always this open about his experience, as a teenager he was reluctant to talk about his struggle. \u201cI didn\u2019t want to tell anybody, because I was afraid of the stigma, afraid of what people would think,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-pullquote\"><blockquote><p>My brain told my hand, my hand told the pen, the pen told the page<\/p><\/blockquote><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h5 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Escaping the noise<\/strong><\/h5>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-left\">Writing became his therapy, particularly after his diagnosis. He first picked up the pen at the age of 11. \u201cMy brain told my hand, my hand told the pen, the pen told the page,\u201d he explains. He was able to articulate what he was feeling through poetry, breaking his thoughts down with written words.&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-media-text is-stacked-on-mobile\" style=\"grid-template-columns:46% auto\"><figure class=\"wp-block-media-text__media\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"487\" height=\"681\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/altcardiff\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/13\/2024\/11\/Duke-portrait.jpg\" alt=\"local poet smiles in Cardiff\" class=\"wp-image-68006 size-full\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/altcardiff\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/13\/2024\/11\/Duke-portrait.jpg 487w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/altcardiff\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/13\/2024\/11\/Duke-portrait-215x300.jpg 215w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/altcardiff\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/13\/2024\/11\/Duke-portrait-293x410.jpg 293w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 487px) 100vw, 487px\" \/><noscript><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"487\" height=\"681\" src=\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/altcardiff\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/13\/2024\/11\/Duke-portrait.jpg\" alt=\"local poet smiles in Cardiff\" class=\"wp-image-68006 size-full\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/altcardiff\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/13\/2024\/11\/Duke-portrait.jpg 487w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/altcardiff\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/13\/2024\/11\/Duke-portrait-215x300.jpg 215w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/altcardiff\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/13\/2024\/11\/Duke-portrait-293x410.jpg 293w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 487px) 100vw, 487px\" \/><\/noscript><\/figure><div class=\"wp-block-media-text__content\">\n<p class=\"has-text-align-left\">Beyond writing, he has a deep passion for rugby, playing since he was eight.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-left\">As he grew older, the <a href=\"https:\/\/figshare.cardiffmet.ac.uk\/articles\/journal_contribution\/A_case_study_of_alcohol_use_among_male_university_rugby_players\/22349095?file=39764227\">drinking culture <\/a>surrounding the sport led him to develop a tendency for binge drinking: \u201cI became quite attached to drinking to make myself feel a bit better.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-left\">Further into his 20s, drink remained an escape for him. It was a negative coping mechanism for dealing with his intrusive thoughts .<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-left\">Eventually, after speaking to friends and family, he was referred for <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nhs.uk\/mental-health\/talking-therapies-medicine-treatments\/talking-therapies-and-counselling\/cognitive-behavioural-therapy-cbt\/overview\/\">cognitive behavioural therapy<\/a> which gave him a new perspective on how to manage his OCD.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>Duke Al smiles after talking about his poem<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h5 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Understanding suffering<\/strong><\/h5>\n\n\n\n<p>After this experience, he decided to study sports coaching at Cardiff Metropolitan university. Throughout this course he had feelings of uncertainty about what was next.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In 2018, as  part of a volunteer scheme Cardiff Met, he had the opportunity to go to Zambia. On this trip he became inspired by a student completing a Master&#8217;s degree and asked him how he decided what he wanted to do. \u201cHe said he asked himself two things, \u2018What do you love and what makes you get out of bed in the morning?&#8217;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h5 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Duke Al talks about the importance of poetry in Poetry and Rhyme<\/h5>\n\n\n\n<iframe class=\"zeen-lazy-load-base zeen-lazy-load\" width=\"100%\" height=\"166\" scrolling=\"no\" frameborder=\"no\" src=\"about:blank\" data-lazy-src=\"https:\/\/w.soundcloud.com\/player\/?url=https%3A\/\/api.soundcloud.com\/tracks\/1947450695&amp;color=%23ff5500&amp;auto_play=false&amp;hide_related=false&amp;show_comments=true&amp;show_user=true&amp;show_reposts=false&amp;show_teaser=true\"><\/iframe><noscript><iframe width=\"100%\" height=\"166\" scrolling=\"no\" frameborder=\"no\" src=\"https:\/\/w.soundcloud.com\/player\/?url=https%3A\/\/api.soundcloud.com\/tracks\/1947450695&amp;color=%23ff5500&amp;auto_play=false&amp;hide_related=false&amp;show_comments=true&amp;show_user=true&amp;show_reposts=false&amp;show_teaser=true\"><\/iframe><\/noscript><div style=\"font-size: 10px;color: #cccccc;overflow: hidden;font-family: Interstate,Lucida Grande,Lucida Sans Unicode,Lucida Sans,Garuda,Verdana,Tahoma,sans-serif;font-weight: 100\"><a href=\"https:\/\/soundcloud.com\/cardiffjomec\" title=\"CardiffJomec\" target=\"_blank\" style=\"color: #cccccc;text-decoration: none\" rel=\"noopener\">CardiffJomec<\/a> \u00b7 <a href=\"https:\/\/soundcloud.com\/cardiffjomec\/how-writing-saved-local-poet\" title=\"How writing saved Cardiff poet\" target=\"_blank\" style=\"color: #cccccc;text-decoration: none\" rel=\"noopener\">How writing saved Cardiff poet<\/a><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>He loved coaching, but it was clear to him: \u201cWhat has always made me get out of bed in the morning is my poetry and writing and making a positive impact with my words, using one rhyme at a time.\u201d From then on, he began to build his profile on social media, sharing his poetry with others. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>His first poem about the 2019 Rugby World Cup, was recognised by ITV Wales and gained over 50,000 views, meaning three years later he was able to quit his job to focus on poetry full time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>But, how did he become so comfortable talking about these difficult physical and <a href=\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/altcardiff\/2022\/01\/12\/alt-cardiff-magazine-tackling-mental-health\/\">mental health <\/a>experiences?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cEveryone has to go on their own journey, some people may not speak about issues until they are 70, people may speak about them when they are 20. Yeah it was just my time,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-cover\"><span aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-cover__background has-background-dim\"><\/span><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"768\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"wp-block-cover__image-background wp-image-68012\" alt=\"\" src=\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/altcardiff\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/13\/2024\/11\/boxout-2-1024x768.jpg\" data-object-fit=\"cover\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/altcardiff\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/13\/2024\/11\/boxout-2-1024x768.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/altcardiff\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/13\/2024\/11\/boxout-2-300x225.jpg 300w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/altcardiff\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/13\/2024\/11\/boxout-2-770x578.jpg 770w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/altcardiff\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/13\/2024\/11\/boxout-2-293x220.jpg 293w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/altcardiff\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/13\/2024\/11\/boxout-2-100x75.jpg 100w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/altcardiff\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/13\/2024\/11\/boxout-2.jpg 1152w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><noscript><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"768\" class=\"wp-block-cover__image-background wp-image-68012\" alt=\"\" src=\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/altcardiff\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/13\/2024\/11\/boxout-2-1024x768.jpg\" data-object-fit=\"cover\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/altcardiff\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/13\/2024\/11\/boxout-2-1024x768.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/altcardiff\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/13\/2024\/11\/boxout-2-300x225.jpg 300w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/altcardiff\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/13\/2024\/11\/boxout-2-770x578.jpg 770w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/altcardiff\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/13\/2024\/11\/boxout-2-293x220.jpg 293w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/altcardiff\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/13\/2024\/11\/boxout-2-100x75.jpg 100w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/altcardiff\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/13\/2024\/11\/boxout-2.jpg 1152w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/noscript><div class=\"wp-block-cover__inner-container is-layout-flow wp-block-cover-is-layout-flow\">\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center has-large-font-size\"><mark class=\"has-inline-color has-vivid-red-color\">Open mic night: Mental health storytelling<\/mark><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><mark class=\"has-inline-color has-black-color\"><strong>Duke Al Durham <\/strong>works in partnership with the charity OCD Gamechangers for his event, Poet Treehouse, to provide a space for poets, singer-songwriters, authors and just anyone who is feeling brave enough to share their personal stories and experiences.<\/mark><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><mark class=\"has-inline-color has-black-color\">This event that takes place on 1 December will provide a <strong>safe space and sense of community<\/strong> for those who choose to speak, but also those who are willing to  just sit and listen.<\/mark><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Welsh poet and rapper Duke Al looks back on how he began to understand his experiences of suffering ahead of hosting mental health story telling event<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1194,"featured_media":68002,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_exactmetrics_skip_tracking":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_active":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_note":"","_exactmetrics_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[7934],"tags":[8148,6861,862,441],"coauthors":[8083],"class_list":["post-67992","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-social-life","tag-mensmentalhealth","tag-mentalhealth","tag-movember","tag-poetry"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v25.2 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Writing helped this local poet break down his struggle<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Duke Al looks back on his writing that deals with with stigma around his mental health ahead of hosting storytelling open mic night\" \/>\n<meta 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