Crafting as a Form of Meditation

 

So lately I have been bogged down with everything going on in the world today.  I imagine a lot of people are struggling to make sense of the world we currently live in.  Why are people so angry?  Why can't people see eye to eye anymore or agree to disagree?  Why has life become a black and white issue with only one right side and one wrong side?  Life is multi-faceted and there are many sides to the same story.  Unfortunately, I do see that all of us are just getting pieces of the bigger picture but not seeing the entire story.  With those tiny pieces, people are stating that they know what is going on, that they are right, and you are wrong.  With so much negativity in the world, I try and focus only on the positive.  I try and convene with my spirit and talk to God.  Many days when I am mindlessly folding laundry, I ask God to heal the world and help me to be the parent my kids need me to be.  But one thing I learned was how crafting can be a form of meditation and that it helps to focus your mind off the nonsense and onto something productive. 

Crafting has taken me from creating Christmas ornaments to making soap, from knitting to crocheting all sorts of things!  I have been spending any free time I have (which is few and far in between) working on my craft projects to fuel my Etsy store LulaLovely.  While working on my crafts, I realized my mood seemed calmer than usual as I learned different knitting stitches, focused on various creative endeavors, and created more crocheted scarves.  The idea of crafting as meditation is not a new concept but one that has been delved into by others who see value in it.  Many knitting and crochet projects incorporate repetitive movements that focus your mind similar to those chants used during meditation. 

As a child, I always had an interest in crafting but was not given a lot of exposure to it.  My earliest memory was being at camp and creating a rock creature that I painted while the adults' added shellac.  After seeing my shiny rock creature I had painted, a feeling of pride and joy swept over me and I just never forgot it.  I never forgot about the joy of crafting.  When I was 13 years old, I had asked my grandma to teach me how to knit.  She purchased some knitting needles for me and some yarn and taught me the basic knit stitch.  I worked on my first project which seemed to take me forever, but I actually enjoyed turning yarn into this interesting placemat-shaped material.  For many, many years, I stopped knitting...you know, life happens.  It wasn't until I was in my early 40s that I finally learned how to alternate knit and purl stitches to create the famous stockinette stitch.  Now, I find myself attempting to learn all different knitting and crochet styles to create scarves, hats, ear warmers, mug cozies, and socks!  I'm enjoying this journey of self-discovery through crafts that help you focus inward.  

Knitting is one of my favorite ways to destress and has been around for thousands of years. Knitting has not only a fascinating history but is very beneficial for your brain.  Knitting has been shown to reduce cognitive decline by 30 to 50% for seniors.  The repetitive motion of knitting helps doubles as a form of meditation that reduces your resting heartbeat by 11 beats per minute.  Knitting is as relaxing as yoga, distracts from chronic pain, boosts well-being, and reduces blood pressure.  I love to get chunky yarn when working on my projects as it knits up faster and gives me an extra warm item to wear.  

Crocheting is also good for your health and does so much for your mental well-being and happiness!  Crocheting helps you focus on something that's easy, repetitive, and soothing.  By repeating motions over and over again, you enter into a calm, meditative state that can relieve depression and anxiety and even help with insomnia!  Who knew that crocheting would help you sleep?  Studies have shown that crocheting can help reduce Alzheimer's disease by 30-50%.  But aside from all those health benefits, you will have a blanket, scarf or hat to show for it!  There is no reason not to learn this craft today!

Another way I like to reduce my stress is to save all my glass jars (pasta sauce, peanut butter, coconut oil, spice jars) and use them to create house decorations that are both purposeful and unique.  You get the emotional boost of knowing you are lessening the trash that is going into the landfills and creating something unique and interesting for your home or as a gift for someone else's home.  Who knows?  You might even create an entire business on your saved glass jars!  

Crafting has many health benefits!  Crafting helps reduce stress, relieves depression and anxiety, helps build self-esteem, decreases cognitive impairment as you age, reduces insomnia, reduces resting heart rate, and helps build community and friendships!  There is no reason not to start crafting, but every reason to give it a go today!!