A step by step guide on how to use crochet to reduce stress

Anyone who is familiar with my page probably knows my story. I discovered my passion for this craft during a really dark period in my life, and have been on a quest since, to find out why exactly it has helped me so much. I have also been in a position where I got to hear countless other peoples crochet stories.

It’s amazing how many people have kindly shared how crocheting has helped them during a difficult time. For example, there was a grieving mother of a fallen soldier who told me how crocheting was the only thing that got her out of bed each morning. I heard from a Woman who had suffered through a pregnancy loss and used crochet to honor her unborn baby. There were many people who credit crochet with making it through the worst of their depression or who found it helped them overcome anxiety attacks like I have experienced.

Why is crocheting such a good stress reducer?

One question I’ve been trying to answer over the years was why? Why is such a simple craft so helpful? Studies done about knitting and crocheting have conclusively proven that fiberarts have many benefits to our health and well being. I went on a quest to figure out what about crocheting was so special that it calms our brains.

A magic soup of benefits

As it turns out, there is not just one explanation for the beneficial effect crocheting has on us. Crocheting is actually a magical combination of mindfulness, repetition, focus, creativity, hand movement, productivity and often times positive social interactions. The simple to do craft also checks off most of the ten discernible positive emotions that improve our overall long term happiness. This magic soup of self care tools sounds like an occupational therapist’s dream. It usually takes many different activities to touch on all these different areas that are proven to better our mental state but we can achieve them all with hook and yarn!

What is Mindfulness?

A mental state achieved by focusing one’s awareness on the present moment, while calmly acknowledging and accepting one’s feelings, thoughts, and bodily sensations, is used as a therapeutic technique.

Similarities between Crochet and Meditation

Through the ages people have found that sitting and becoming mindful of our thoughts and feelings is good for our mind, body and spirit. If you have a difficult time sitting and quieting your mind, crochet is a perfect tool to achieve this state of mindfulness! The beneﬁts of meditation and the beneﬁts of crocheting are quite similar!

Reduces stress

This is the most commonly reported beneﬁt of both

Promotes Emotional Health.
Lengthens Attention Span.
Controls Anxiety

Less stress translates to less anxiety.

May Reduce Age-Related Memory loss
May Help Fight addiction

Easy steps you can follow to use crochet to reduce stress

When you are crocheting to lower your stress it’s important to find a pattern conducive to that. Not all crochet patterns are created equal. I have found that some patterns and projects have a more calming effect than others. This may be subjective to some degree but overall I think we can ﬁnd a few attributes of calming patterns.

Focus on bigger projects.

One of my favorite things to do as a little pick me up is crocheting something I can finish in a day. However, when we are looking for mindfulness, I’ve found that the anticipation and the steps needed to complete a quick project interfere with crochet’s calming effects. The projects I go to to cheer me up versus the projects I pick up to focus on the moment and calm myself are very different. If you are opposed to committing to a whole afghan, try a big scarf or a shawl. Find a project that has a lot of repeating stitches and that you can have on hand and pick up easily.

Choose colors you love to look at to use crochet to reduce stress

Sometimes we take on a project that a loved one or friend saw online and really wants us to make. Sometimes that project is neon green with purple highlights. When you are trying to achieve a meditative state through crocheting, do not pick up that project. The yarn you chose should inspire and charm you. Find a color or color combination that really speaks to you and makes your heart sing when you look at it.

Don’t forget your sense of touch

In recent years, scientists have found more and more evidence that our sense of touch might be one of our most important senses. We actually have two systems that interpret touch. One that gives us the facts and another that is responsible for interpreting emotional touch. The second system sends information to a completely different part of our brain responsible for processing emotions.

Your sense of touch is actually crucial for your orientation. Without it we wouldn’t even be able to sit up or walk. As we age, our sense of touch deteriorates which is why older people tend to fall more often. The good news is that, like with all senses, we can improve it by consciously using it and focusing on it. Find yarn that is highly squishable and yarn that you just want to touch as you’re walking by. You should look forward to working on your mindfulness project with all your senses.