WRITTEN BY AÐALHEIÐUR ÁSMUNDSDÓTTIR
Why is knitting good for you and your brain and why is it so therapeutic?
Have you heard the phrase: Knit your way to happiness?!! It is said that knitting every day has good effects on calmness and happiness!
Knitting is said to be one of the most relaxing and calming activities you can do, and it reduce stress and is good for anxiety. Knitting helps stimulate the brain and to keep tuhe focus, and improve your memory. Knitting in a social setting and reduced loneliness and isolation. When you keep your hands busy with knitting you can break your unhealthy patterns as; to reach for temptations like crisps, cigarettes, or your phone. And at last, the important mental health benefit of knitting is to knit gifts for loved ones and to give back to their community as it gives the sense of well-being and makes you feel good.
Here is a list of five key health benefits of knitting and crocheting and why you should start knitting and crochet your way to a healthier and happier mind.
1. THE ACT OF KNITTING REDUCES STRESS AND ANXIETY
This is one of the greatest health benefits of knitting. The relaxing effects of knitting can help to deal with stress, anxiety and depression. The act of knitting is proven to help to calm and still the mind, as the concentration required is a distraction and the yarn’s texture and color impact the mood. The rhythmic motions and sense of focus can help distract from mental symptoms. When knitting your mind can easily escape to calm places while providing the hands with something to do.
Being able to ‘switch off’ the mind for a short time every day is beneficial to well-being. The relaxed motions the yarn between the knitting needles is very soothing and helps to calm the body as well as the brain. While knitting people tend to ease into a state of mindfulness and often without even noticing. Sitting still to knit reduces your heart rate and lowers your blood pressure.
2. KNITTING IS GOOD FOR YOUR MEMORY AND ABILITY TO FOCUS
Does knitting help with focus and to improve memory? Knitting helps to use the brain with the attention it takes, the memory it requires and the processing speed. It is scientifically proved that knitting keeps the brain sharp and stimulates it to keep it healthy. Knitting forces your brain to use its memory actively as it can include a lot of counting, multiplying, and measuring.
3. KNITTING IMPROVES SOCIAL SKILLS AND BOOSTS SELF-CONFIDENCE
Knitting in a social setting, both in real life and online, and promotes social connection, reduces loneliness and isolation, and therefor offers great mental health benefits. You can f.ex. combine knitting with meeting your friends. It is so easy to take the knitting project with you and share your work and be inspired by someone else’s work. You can even make new friends with the knitting as you have the common interest to talk about and having knitting needles in your hands can overcome shyness. Mastering the knitting techniques, following a pattern or instructions, and completing a knitting project, and making something should make you feel proud of yourself.
4. KNITTING CAN BREAK YOUR UNHEALTHY PATTERNS AND KEEPS YOU BUSY
It is true to say that if you have knitting in your hands and keep your fingers busy by knitting or crocheting, you will be less likely to reach for crisps, cigarettes, your phone, or a glass of wine. Knitting can break your unhealthy patterns. It’s also a great way to keep yourself busy when you feel like spending some time on your own. Not everyone is super social, so it’s nice to have an activity you can enjoy when you want a little quiet time. You can also use the time to listen to audiobooks and let the mind take you to the wonderful worlds the authors created while knitting.
5. KNITTING IS A WAY TO GIVE BACK
One more important mental health benefit of knitting is knitting for others, whether it is a gift to loved ones or to give back to their community, it gives the sense of well-being and makes you feel good to give. You can be generous and give your time and skills to make something for a loved one, teaching someone how to make, or making items for charity. Here are some gift ideas you can start knitting to give others.
So … let´s continue with the healing process of knitting
Knitting and crocheting are one of the most popular yarncrafts amongst men and women of all ages and many people find so much joy in these yarn activities. The potential mental health benefits of picking up a knitting habit are endless. There’s proof that knitting can be a great tool for your self-care.
If you are an advanced knitter, you can find the yarn you need here and lots of knitting patterns for both advanced knitter and other simpler free knitting patterns. But for the first timer of knitting, you can get free and very simple knitting patterns to start with here in the online store and then buy the yarn you need as well.
