Creativity, mindfulness and your mental health!

Happy New Year everyone!

Every January, I genuinely dream that I will feel fresh and prepared for everything the New Year will have in store for me. At that strike of Midnight on the 31st December, I have such high hopes for the following 12 months and all that can happen in that time. Then it gets to the days that my girls go back to school and I feel overwhelmed and wonder how I can manage all of my big plans!

My eldest daughter went back to school this week, and is sitting her GCSE mocks. I can not tell you how much stress I feel like that has brought into our household. Her Dad and I are just desperate for her to do her best, but she has been putting so much pressure on herself during the holiday, and every morning I wonder how she will cope with the day ahead. I don't even remember being this anxious about my own exams (all those many years ago!) and yet here I am feeling like I am sitting the exams myself.

Crafting is my window into relaxation and mindfulness and by sheer luck I had booked myself into a painting workshop. Painting is not something that comes naturally to me. I have many friends who are absolutely wonderful at painting, and I look upon their art in awe. But I do love it when I have a paintbrush in my hand. I may not be the Michelangelo of this generation, but I loose myself in each paint stroke!

Whilst getting ready to attend the workshop, I laughed knowing that I could be walking into an art studio with people who were naturally artistic and had the flair that I haven't got to create something on paper that is frame-worthy. I even questioned whether I should perhaps not go to stop my own embarrassment when everyone else created something that looked incredible, and my piece looked like a watery mess. I had a sudden realisation of what people must feel when they are coming to my crochet lessons, and so I decided to push myself to the workshop and feel what all of my 'new crocheters' feel when they are attending the 'Let's get hooked' courses.

I can not tell you how much fun I had!

Whilst earlier on in the day I had been worrying about my children, my house and all of the other worries we all sit and contemplate; once I got into that studio and started to paint, I couldn't think about anything else at all. I had to focus solely on what it was I was doing...and it felt GREAT!

Workshop at The Secret Studio - Leighton buzzard. (JNL-ART)

Even better than that, I was able to create something (with the help of an outstanding teacher!) that I honestly don't think is too terrible. Painting this cheerful parrot honestly brightened up what could have been a terribly anxious and gloomy January day!

It made me question:

"how is creativity so closely connected to mindfulness, peace and calm?"

I know that every time I pick up a crochet hook and some yarn, I feel immensely mindful, and I know for sure that this skill has contributed to my mental health being improved, stress relief (especially with all that being Mum entails), and fun times, especially when I am with others who love to crochet too. Below are some reasons to really break down why creativity and mindfulness are so closely interlinked.

- Focussing on the Present Moment

Just like I had to focus on the inks and the shapes whilst painting, Crochet requires concentration and attention to detail. This means that you have to be fully present in the current moment. This focus helps in cultivating mindfulness, which then promotes a sense of calm and awareness. When I crochet, I find myself concentrating on stitches, patterns and shapes. Without even realising it, I am not focusing on what is going on around me, but instead on what I am doing.

- Mindful Repetition:

Crochet involves repetitive motions and rhythmic stitches. This repetition can be meditative, calming the mind and reducing stress levels. When I am concentrating on what I am doing with the hook and the yarn, I don't have time to concentrate on anything else. If my family try to ask me questions while I am counting stitches, they are frequently answered by me counting stitches in a loud voice so that they know not to distract me!

- Mindful breathing:

Having done some research on this topic, I was alerted to the fact that rhythmic and slow-paced nature of crochet, can sync with deep, mindful breathing. Isn't that just incredible! So, I gave it a try, and you would have laughed at the mess I got into with my breathing while focussing on breathing! Suffice to say, it didn't feel calm or synchronised at the time! However, later on, when I wasn't considering it at all, I realised that my breathing did seem to be calm. This in turn is great for reducing stress, promoting relaxation, and improving overall mental health. By triggering the relaxation response, this helps to lower cortisol levels and alleviate stress. What a winning combination!

- Community Connection:

Crochet and gin ... what could be better?

Crafting can be a social activity, creating a sense of community and connection. Many of my groups who start as complete strangers become incredibly close. This can happen simply due to the fact that engaging and developing with others who share similar interests can provide emotional support, reduce feelings of isolation and promote good mental health. My very first group of beginner crocheters are still very much in contact with each other. Many of them have really developed their love of crochet together, and we have even giggled with each other that our crochet sessions are just as good as therapy sessions. I felt exactly the same when I was painting this week. I was in a room with 5 other ladies whom I had never met before; and yet by the end I had chatted about all aspects of my life, just because I was in such a relaxed state.

Karen feeling a well deserved sense of accomplishment having only joined crochet classes 4 months before!

- Sense of Accomplishment:

Completing a crafting project provides me with such a sense of accomplishment which boosts my self-esteem and creates positive feelings. Whilst it really doesn't matter whether the end result of any project I create is what I imagined it to look like before I started making it, I am always so proud of what I have achieved by using a hook, some yarn and my hands! Even some of my very first pieces of crochet (which are pretty terrible!) gave me a huge sense of accomplishment because I was giving myself the opportunity to learn a new skill and create something I didn't even know was possible!

- Joyful Distraction:

Coming back to the beginning of this blog, I can honestly tell you that crafting in all forms creates a positive and enjoyable distraction from daily stressors. Simply by being engaged in a fun and creative activity helps me to shift focus away from worries and gives me a more positive mindset. Crafting often induces a state of "flow," where individuals become fully immersed in the activity, losing track of time and worries. This flow state is associated with increased happiness and reduced anxiety.

I will always be grateful that I joined a crochet class because the combination of focus, creativity, sense of accomplishment, and the joy derived from crafting significantly contributes to my mindfulness, promotes good mental health, stress relief, and a wonderful sense of fun. Why don't you take the plunge this year, and find a creative workshop that might be the key to helping you to make 2024 a calm and mindful one!