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How To Live An Amazing Life Now: Day 26 – Learn Something New Every Day

“A mind is a terrible thing to waste.” Arthur Fletcher, head of the United Negro College Fund. “Intelligent people are always ready to learn. Their ears are open for knowledge.” Proverbs 18:15. Learn something new every day to keep the brain healthy and sharp.

No matter the stage of life you are in, there has to be study/life or work/life balance to live victoriously.  Not only do we require time for rest and recreation,  we need to set time aside to pursue the creative part of  your brain.

God has given us a good mind. Let us preserve it with creative activities such as knitting, crocheting or any yarn craft. I have combined the benefits of knitting with charity or a life of generosity to live victoriously. There are organizations that I can send my finished articles to be appreciated by the homeless, children in hospitals, or help build community by giving the articles to the low-income communities that need them most.

American Counseling Association and The Association for Creativity in Counseling (ACA-ACC) researched benefits of yarn craft such as knitting and crochet as summarized below:

Knitting and crochet relieve depression

According with CNN, a published study by the British Journal of Occupational Therapy reported that 81% of 3,500 knitters with depression expressed feeling happy after knitting and more than half reported feeling very happy. The repetition of the crafts has been shown to release serotonin, a natural anti-depressant.

Crafting reduces anxiety

Learning to knit or crocheting by attending classes or events encourages social interaction and hence minimizes social anxiety. By keeping the mind focused and hands busy learning something new keeps us from anxiety of negative repetitious thoughts. Crafting with knit or crocheting helps to serve as productive outlet for those with eating disorders. It has been reported by the Craft Yarn Council that one study showed 75% of women with anorexia found knitting helps calm anxiety.

Projects build self esteem

Low self-esteem impacts negatively on our health. Projects relating to crafting have been shown to build self-esteem through building new skills, feeling productive and creating and expressing beauty to give to others. You feel better about yourself by visualizing, researching and brain-storming, working on and creating the article. In fact, it has been recorded that this has helped people cope with fear of unemployment and even muster the strength to leave abusive relationships.

Crafting may reduce or postpone dementia

We want the quality of life to be optimum irrespective of our age. Dementia is one of the dreaded disease of aging. Researcher Yonas Geda, MD a neuro-psychiatrist at the Mayo Clinic found that knitting is neuro-protective and may reduce dementia by as much as 50%.  In fact, several studies have shown that yarn craft can postpone age-related memory loss.

Knit or crochet provides relaxation and reduces irritability and restlessness

After a long hard day’s work, or when you feel restless, frustrated or grumpy, take up the knitting needles and start knitting away. It provides the much needed relaxation, reduces irritability and restlessness to preserve your relationship at home.

Knit or crochet helps insomnia

Instead of counting sheep, try knitting or crochet before your bedtime to help you wind down for bed.

Professor Herbert Benson of the Mind/Body Medical Institute found the 100% of insomnia patients had improved sleep and 90% of them were able to eliminate medication.

Crafting as prayer

The health benefits of prayer are well known. Crochet and knitting can be used as part of your prayer process by creating a sacred space for crafting.

Yarn crafting builds community

Whatever we are going through in our life, it helps to have a community that you can interact to support you.
Yarn crafting communities are available to help you whether you are a beginner or advanced knitter or crochet person.
  • Friends and family
  • Local libraries
  • Local meet-ups
  • Fiber fairs
  • Yarn stores
  • Online craft communities

Crafting Helps with Grief Processing

We have experienced loss, be it loved one, divorce or break up, or job loss. It has been documented that crochet and knitting can be one of the most comforting things during this time. There isn’t too much expense to start. Start off with 5 minutes a day and you will be amazed how you can take your mind off your pain. Your visualization of the finished item you are creating combined with the textures and colors of the yarn and the beautiful repetitive stitches will draw you closer to feeling wonderful again.

Deal with stress

Stress has been reported as the leading cause of health issues ranging from migraines, insomnia to heart failure and early memory loss. Using knitting or crochet as meditation can be a daily way to minimize the effects of stress in your life.
Yonas Geda, associate professor of Neurology and Psychiatry at the Mayo Clinic in Arizona, published a study in the Journal of Neuropsychiatry & Clinical Neurosciences that “people who engaged their minds by reading
books, playing games or crafting had a decreased risk of mild cognitive impairment, a possible precursor to Alzheimer’s disease and other other forms of dementia.”
So, what is stopping you from learning knitting or crochet or learning something new every day? Take one step at a time.
Read details of article “Crochet Therapy” published by the American Counseling Association and The Association for Creativity in Counseling (ACA-ACC) here.