Crocheting isn’t only fun, it is good for your mental health too! Today we will look at the many benefits your hobby gives you and what crocheting can do for your mental health. There are many benefits to crocheting and today we will look at how beneficial this can be. Not only to you but to others as well!
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Why crocheting is good for your health
It gives us an escape
I find that the news can be stressful. Especially the bad ones! Even though it is nice to keep up to date with everything that’s happening, it can also be stressful. Especially in times like these! So whenever I feel like the news gives me too much anxiety, I turn them off and pick up my hook instead!
Mood booster and makes you chilled
Crocheting allows us to slow down and focus on that stitch we are making or that pattern we are working on. The challenge it provides and the positive associations we have with our craft is an instant mood booster. Just thinking about something I want to crochet, or even just seeing yarn, lifts up my spirits!
I had a conversation with my friend and neighbor the other day. She wanted to know why I seem so relaxed and chilled. I don’t exactly know, but I suspect that all the stitching I am doing helps to keep me happy. This also depends on your personality, but crocheting can lift your mood and help you to be more patient.
Forgetting problems
When I pick up my hook and stitch away I tend to forget about the world around me. Sometimes get so caught up in what I am doing and it allows me to escape for a while. I am sure you have experienced this too. I don’t know exactly what it is or how to explain how it makes me feel. It just feels good!
Mental health and crocheting
But exactly how does crocheting benefits for your mental health? It has something to do with a chemical in your brain.
Serotonin is a brain chemical. This is the mood-booster chemical that makes us happy and content.
Whenever this chemical is released you’ll get an instant mood- boost. This is good news for people who like to crochet since whenever you are stitching, your brain will produce more serotonin!
Low levels of serotonin are associated with depression. So whenever you are feeling blue, just pick up that hook and stitch away!
Crocheting and other crafts can be used for mental therapy. No wonder, it can work wonders! The reparative motion you are doing when you are crocheting allows your brain to focus on that one thing. This again allows your brain to forget the problems of every-day life.
The sense of proudness of our work also boosts our self-esteem. I don’t know about you, but I feel a sense of proudness when people see my work and admire it.
How crocheted items benefits others
I also have some stories from my readers on how your crocheted items can help others. I especially remember one story. One lady wrote to me about the bobble lamb that she had been making for her mother who suffers from Alzheimer’s. She wrote that her mom was nervous and hard to calm, but when she gave her the lamb that she had made for her, she saw an instant change in the mood. The bobbles of the lamb relaxed her and playing with them made her calm and happy.
Newborns and especially preemies seem to like to touch the tentacles of crocheted jellyfishes. Maybe because the tentacles are similar to the umbilical cord and holding them can remind the babies about the time in the womb. Also, the hat that many are making for newborns gives them warmth and comfort.
I know many other people who are grateful for the handmade items we are making them. They provide comfort and put a smile on people’s faces. To know that someone where working hours on a gift can make them feel extra special and valued.
To be able to pick up a hook and create something wonderful that you and others can admire is a gift. You are not only benefiting yourself with this art but other people too.
Learn more about the benefits of crocheting here and on lovecrafts.