How Crafting Can Benefit Your Health
There are many crafting activities that allow you to explore your creativity. Whether you have taken up quilting, sewing, knitting, or similar hobbies, they all have a special ability that is worth remembering – benefiting your health. There has been a multitude of research that continues to show that hobbies and activities like these can do a number of positive things for your health. If you haven’t already, deciding to pick up a new craft is something that will enrich your life in ways you have never thought of. Learn how crafting can benefit your health by reading below.
Promotes Stress Relief
No matter how mentally healthy you may be, everyone suffers from some sort of stress. This comes in the forms of fatigue, nervousness, anxiety, and other similar feelings. We all get caught up in the rhythmic, repetitive daily grind of life which becomes very wearing on the mind. People often need some sort of outlet to help relieve them of their daily worries. A good example is the frequent benefit of feeling calm many crafters feel from knitting. People who have taken up the craft and others like it have commonly explained the soothing, meditative qualities that the activity offers. While this has been compared to meditation, there is another stress-relieving technique this act can be compared to. Coined by medical professionals as “mindfulness”, the technique involves the individual focusing on what they see and are doing around them. This works wonderfully with activities like knitting, sewing, crocheting, and other similar crafts. Allowing yourself to just focus on your activity gives your mind a rest. It’s a means of escape from the monotony and stress of everyday concerns. This can greatly help those who suffer from anxiety disorders to cope through stressful times and situations.
Lifts Your Mood
Many individuals suffer from varying forms of mental conditions and stress. Be it anxiety, depression, or other similar struggles, it can wear on you a make you have bouts of sadness. Even those who aren’t diagnosed with any conditions can have sad moments. Several studies have shown that individuals who picked up some form of crafting have experienced significant mood elevation after having some time to craft. There are a few reasons why something like crafting brings this out of us. When you craft, you’re allowing yourself to create. Many people with creative minds truly need time to get creative and express themselves through their art to feel fulfilled. Crafting also allows you to watch yourself complete something unique, which gives a feeling of accomplishment. Showing others and yourself what you can create also builds self-esteem. Working on increasing self-esteem does wonders for combating depression and anxiety. Often, we suffer some form of these mental afflictions because of things within ourselves that we are unhappy with. Building up your self-esteem through fun activities like crafting gives you a better self-image. Participating in group crafting especially makes a person happier and builds their self-esteem. This helps you bond with others while giving each other further encouragement.
Helps Those With Eating Disorders
This is a part of how crafting can benefit your health that is not commonly considered. It is vital for those struggling with an eating disorder to have healthy outlets to recover. An eating disorder is an incredibly hard condition to deal with. While such disorders become dangerous to the person’s physical health, the root of the struggle is in the mind. Crafting can be used as a great recovery tool for an eating disorder just as it can be for any other mental illnesses. Those who have used crafting for this commonly report how it can alleviate the intensity of the eating disorder-related thoughts. The condition can compel them to do something that would be unhealthy and go against their treatment. Crafting can distract the mind away from these thoughts, eventually calming the person and preventing them from giving in to the compulsion. Focusing on the craft keeps your mind on what you enjoy. Breaking the repetitive thoughts related to the disorder is essential to recovery. Also, having a healthy hobby simply brings a feeling of fun back into your life. Going to the craft store and shopping for your materials is exciting. Not only are you getting ready to start a new project, but it can give you further ideas of what you could make. As mentioned previously, it builds your self-esteem. Self-esteem is immensely important for those struggling with an eating disorder. Many times, the illness stems from struggles of low self-esteem. Allowing it to blossom once more through your creative endeavors is an essential part of healing.
Helps People Suffering From Chronic Pain
While crafting might not relieve chronic physical pain itself, it can help you cope with it in a specific way. Dealing with chronic pain is something that leaves you equal parts of mental and physical stress. Constant pain can make it hard to get around, which makes it harder to function and enjoy your life. This results in things like depression, social isolation, and feelings of losing control or identity. Chronic pain becomes very hindering for a person from finding joy in life. While this makes it hard to go out and do a number of enjoyable activities, that doesn’t mean you can’t find enjoyment in something right at home. Crafting will give you a renewed sense of purpose. People who have engaged in crafting while dealing with chronic pain have reported feeling meaning and control return to their lives through embracing their hobby. If you engage in your craft with others, this can also help you feel far less isolated. Consider joining a knitting group, a quilting group, or anything similar. The joy you can get from taking up a craft as a hobby is also helpful in distracting you from the pain. Professionals in the medical industry have often noticed a link in patients between physical pain and their brain’s focus on it. Being able to distract your mind from the discomfort makes chronic pain easier to cope with.
As a crafter, you should use the finest quality crafting materials. Lindley General Store offers fabric sales online from Canada, where you will find great selections of housewares, tools, and other crafting and hobby materials.
