Therapeutic Crafting

Do you knit, crochet or colour?  A Therapeutic Crafting group could be just for you.

If you don’t do any of these things yet, would you like to? Or do you have another craft you could do in a group?

Doing this type of activity can help with a wide range of physical, emotional and mental issues, including:

  • Depression, stress, anxiety, low mood
  • Low self-esteem, confidence and/or belief
  • Dexterity of mind and/or hands
  • Chronic pain relief
  • Cognitive impairment issues, memory loss, dementia and Alzheimer’s
  • Social isolation; feeling purposeless and undervalued
  • Addictions, including smoking
  • Eating disorders, including anorexia and bulimia
  • Behavioural disorders
  • Personal and social wellbeing

 

Therapeutic Crafting is like yoga, meditation, and mindfulness rolled into one, for people who prefer the distraction of movement. If you’ve ever been recommended to take up one of these things, but found them difficult to do – because your mind kept running away with you – then knitting, crochet, colouring or crafting could be just what you’ve been looking for.

Research shows that these activities calm the mind, distract from repetitive or negative thoughts, and even from pain. You can make small daily choices, such as yarn colour and pattern, and this can help with making larger decisions, and also lift your mood. When practised in a group, crafting can provide a non-threatening and supportive social environment, while working on projects for others or for charity can bring an increased sense of being useful, worthwhile, and valuable.

Knitting as an occupational therapy has been used since the First World War, and is becoming more common in Pain Management Clinics, GP surgeries, care homes, workplaces and schools, as well as in community settings. It is an inexpensive way to improve your wellbeing and motivation, meet and socialise with people, and can help with long-term support and monitoring if you need them.

Knitting needles or a crochet hook and yarn can be carried almost anywhere and used to help calm nerves before a meeting or medical intervention; to while away the time while travelling or waiting for an appointment; and to distract you from worrying about something you can’t change or improve. Knitting and crochet can help to create not only beautiful, strong and resilient fabrics, but also beautiful, strong and resilient minds, bodies and communities.

For more information or to book or arrange a group, please contact Karen Tucker at Embrace Crafts on 07719 756096.  Tuition is available in knitting, crotchet, cross stitch and tapestry.

One of the other small businesses I run is Embrace Healing, so if there’s something I can do for you on a more personal level, please do contact me at embrace-healing.co.uk or through the Contact Form on this site.