In recent years there have been a number of studies that suggest crafting is good for our mental health. With many people finding it hard to adjust to the new social isolation rules and full lockdowns in some countries, how can we put what we have learned to good use?
Fill your time with all the stages of a project.
Choose a project or two to focus on and then work through all the stage of planning them without worrying about time pressures. Enjoy choosing the patterns – if you spend a whole evening on Ravelry browsing, so be it. Equally have a good look through your stash to see if you have the yarn you really want to work with. If you don’t, check to see if your local yarn shop is doing mail order. Some are even doing video personal shopping to help you choose your yarn, so you get the chance for a chat with a like-minded person too.
If is a good idea to have more than one project – perhaps one complicated one that will absorb all your concentration and one that is more along the lines of “mindless stocking stitch” for when you don’t have that level of concentration.
And don’t worry of some days you don’t have any yarnie mojo, that’s fine too. There is no law that you have to knit or crochet to a schedule.
Use your knitting to feel calmer.
When we feel anxious, we often find our breath gets shallow and we clench our hands. Clenching your hands actually makes you hold your upper body more tightly, which doesn’t help with shallow breathing. By picking up your needles or hook you are going to have to open up your hands which is a good starting point.
Then you can start to focus on making one stitch, then the next. The repetitive nature of knitting or crochet is meditative so can help to calm you as you make each stitch.
If you are comfortable with doing that, you can actually use your knitting as tool to help with breathing techniques. You can breathe in as you work a number of stitches and then out over the next group.
Crafting with others.
Joining a crafting group has been shown to reduce loneliness. Obviously at the moment you can’t pop down to the library or coffee shop for a knit and knatter session but there are lots of online groups emerging including those hosted by local yarn shops.
We have seen versions via Skype, Zoom and even Instagram live and those who take part report feeling more connected and as if they had had a break for their own four walls. These sessions can work very like in person groups with people showing yarn and projects and sharing patterns and tips.
