6 Health Benefits of Crocheting by Sierra Powell

Build Hand-Eye Coordination

Crochet requires you to grip yarn, grip the hook, work your wrists and hands in multiple positions, and manage your strand of yarn or ribbon behind you. To successfully keep going, you need to manage your space and supplies effectively. This is a hobby that not only boosts your creative brain, but crochet teaches you to use your hands in opposite motions and in varied grips and tasks.

Manage Stress

Many people suffer from stress whether that’s due to life or work. Though you can’t simply get rid of the stress you can learn to manage it. In fact, the act of sitting still and making repetitive movements while focusing your brain can be seen as a form of meditation.
On the surface, meditation is quite simple. You find a quiet place to breathe and quiet the mind. However, many people really struggle to find a calm state while sitting still and trying to clear their mind. If meditation just adds to your frustration, try crocheting.

Reduce Anxiety

Anxious thinking is a strong sign that, on occasion, the human brain can be a mean jerk. If you find that your brain is prone to spinning out and presenting you with everything that could possibly go wrong at various points in the day, crochet and other repetitive crafts can shut down the negative thoughts.

Sadly, we sometimes have to put down the hook. To train your brain to find the calm of crochet while you can't be working on your next project, listen to music while you crochet. Create a calming space with the hook in your hand and listen to your favorite music. The next time your brain starts to spin, turn on the same music and send anxious thoughts away.

Learn New Skills

The human brain is a habit-building machine. Once you know how to do something by habit, you create a sort of groove in your head; those neurons, in that pattern, will fire more easily.

Many of us struggle to find the courage to try new crafts. What if it doesn't look like the picture? Luckily, crochet is something that you can learn from a YouTube video and practice until you increase your confidence in the simple skills. Once that habit is built, you can try a new pattern.

Crochet is an amazing way to train your brain to more easily make new pathways. For example, you can fight the cognitive impairment of aging by taking your known skills, such as a single and double crochet, and adding a new pattern or color to the mix. As you build on previous skills, you can pull your brain out of a rut.

Maintain and Build Hand Dexterity

Many of us, as we age, lose dexterity and strength. If you used to quilt, managing the bulk and weight of the fabric may be too much. You may also struggle to manage the tiny stitches that it takes to put the backing, stuffing, and top together. Threading your needles, both on your sewing machine and your hand needles, will probably grow more difficult year on year.

If you notice that your hands are stiff or clumsy at different points in the day, try crochet to loosen things up. Use a timer to keep from falling down the rabbit hole; you want to take it slowly to build strength and flexibility. Crochet for 15 or 20 minutes, then get up and move around to loosen your body as well as your hands.

See Yourself as an Artist

There are many people who confuse the difference between creativity and craft. It's much healthier to think of craft as your output. You put in the time and turn a basic supply like yarn into a scarf or a blanket.

People who learn to crochet, even the most basic stitches, can create remarkable art. From afghans to scarves to durable beach bags, learning to crochet can turn ordinary items into remarkable art.

Crochet does an amazing job of connecting your hands to your brain. It allows you to build hand strength and flexibility while playing with patterns and yarn colors. No matter how many times you've tried, it's time to pick up the hook!

Sierra Powell - spowell@doodlewriters.com