Why Crafts Are a Great Way to Practice Self Care

Scrapbooking, jewelry-making, art journaling, knitting and other popular crafts — while all these hands-on activities are a pleasant way to spend your off-hours, they provide health benefits, as well. “Studies have shown that at least 75 percent of doctor visits are for stress-related illnesses,” says Victoria Rivera, MD, a physician in St. Croix, US Virgin Islands. “Active hobbies can cause your brain to release endorphins (stress- and pain-relieving chemicals) and reduce stress-related hormones (cortisol and adrenalin). The calming effects of these natural stress-reducers in your body usually last for several hours." The National Institutes of Health backs up this claim. Self-care — taking the time to do things that help you live well and improve both your physical health and mental health — can help you manage stress, lower your risk of illness and increase your energy, the NIH says. Even the time-out you take to pursue your favorite craft can have an impact.

Dr. Clay Routledge, a psychologist who studies the role nostalgia plays in our lives, works on studies with the scrapbooking brand Creative Memories and explains how nostalgia has a therapeutic effect when tapped through the popular craft of scrapbooking. “It’s kind of like ‘flow’ in exercising, or in crafting, where you reach that place that is that state of happiness and productivity," Dr. Routledge says. “In my work I talk to a lot of people who do a lot of different types of nostalgia activities. Scrapbooking is really one of the creative activities that best captures and amplifies the nostalgia. You’re not only revisiting memories but engaged in an active process of cultivating them, and building something that captures your history.

Joy Lang of Shelby, Ohio began “scrapping” more than 20 years ago to record the journey of discovering her adoption records and the search for her biological family. “Beyond that, I kept scrapping because I loved it,” she says. “It’s very relaxing for me, and allows me to create. I like to think of each page as a work of art.” Lang has albums of vacations, pets, yearly albums, albums about her girlfriends and Christmas albums that include cards and letters from friends and family. “These are wonderful because I can display them at Christmas like coffee table books.” And the original scrapbook of the search for her biological family is still a work in progress: “That scrapbook has been added to over the years, and the story continues.”

Talk to knitters, crochet aficionados, needlepoint practitioners and others who work with needles and thread or with yarn about their crafting time, and the word “calm” inevitably pops up in the conversation. “I’ve been knitting for more than 60 years,” says Karen Knox of Nashville, who has made scarves, hats, mittens, socks and baby sweaters for family and friends. “Knitting is calming, some of it can be done almost mindlessly, and for people who find it hard to sit still, it can allow them to watch a movie or attend a live music concert and still concentrate on the event.” Ending up with something original, wearable or giftable is a side benefit of these traditional crafts.

It’s similar to scrapbooking, but art journaling employs a variety of art media and techniques as a means of creative exploration. “Art journaling specifically provides a deeper layer of self-care, because I use it as a way to process frustrations, challenges and difficult emotions,” says Laura Rahuba of Atlanta, who has been keeping mixed-media collage journals for the past five years. “Many of my collages become a form of self-discovery, allowing me to unlock ideas and emotions that were hidden below the surface of my consciousness,” she says. “As I'm creating collages, I select images that speak to me or represent something symbolic; sometimes there's additional significance — double-meanings, layers of symbolism — that surprise me as I view the completed page.” It’s often these “aha” moments that lead to better understanding of self and relationships. “It’s a form of therapy for me.”

Woodworking encompasses a wide range of activities, from simple whittling and wood-burning to more elaborate and artistic woodcarving and turning. “The appeal of woodworking is broad-based, engaging your senses in each piece’s unique form, textures, scents and beauty,” says Victoria Rivera, MD, who took up woodworking as an artistic practice after retirement. “The concentration required to carefully and safely create even a simple woodworking piece can benefit your sense of well-being.” In addition, exercise is a well-known component of mental health, and woodworking that requires the use of lathes, routers and other powerful tools is a form of exercise, Dr. Rivera says. “Beginners are often surprised by the muscular effort and coordination required by even simple forms of woodworking.”

There is something soothing about painting on smooth, palm-size stones for Silvana Romitelli, who, as a life coach in Buenos Aires, understands the importance of managing stress and often spends her off-hours painting rocks. “I like to imagine the design I’m going to paint, the forms, then preparing the colors and doing the painting,” she says. She paints the stones for herself (using artists’ acrylic paint and brushes), and also gives them as gifts to friends. “For me, me it’s a creative and calming activity,” she says. “It allows me to just sit and enjoy the moment. It’s very therapeutic.”

Creative souls are turning wire, stones and beads into wearable works of art, and finding peace in the process. “I began making jewelry from copper wire and semi-precious stones a few months after the pandemic began,” says Vera Baquet of St. Croix. She also fashions the materials into tiny figurines of Moko Jumbies, Caribbean island stilt-walkers. “I enjoy having something to do with my hands. It’s a soothing activity that lessens my anxiety in general, and early in the Covid lockdown, creating also took my mind off the crippling fear of the virus.” Besides improving mental health, there could be a side benefit to some crafts: you might be able to sell your creations. “At first I was timid when I showed my work. Now I wear it, show it, sell it with pride. I find myself daydreaming about my next designs,” Baquet says. “Creating takes me out of myself.”

What could be better than surrounding yourself with flowers? The idea of using pressed flowers to create art as a self-care practice is no surprise to Lisa Pasto-Crosby, who crafts at her dining room table in Nashville. “It has a similar type of stress-relief that I used to find singing in a chorus,” she says. When you are rehearsing, you are focused solely on what you’re doing, she explained. “It would take me out of anything that was stressing me. I found that the concentration required to work on pressed flower art was very similar, it would take me out of whatever else I was worried about.” says Pasto-Crosby, who is a member of the World Wide Pressed Flower Guild. Members meet regularly via Zoom to take classes and craft together. “It’s been interesting to see people turning to the craft for sustenance, to keep them going, keep them feeling alive.”

Coloring books for adults — usually with pages of intricate patterns and elaborate designs — have become big sellers with a surprising side benefit. “Studies suggest that structured coloring of geometric patterns such as mandalas, and free-form coloring may serve as a mindfulness practice that induces a meditative state,” says Ashley Williams, a yoga therapist and mindfulness educator and founder of BareSOUL Yoga & Wellness in Richmond, Virginia. BareSOUL offers Coloring Meditation sessions led by a certified yoga and meditation teacher. “Coloring meditation encourages students to engage in logic and creativity by using the coloring template as a focal point,” Williams explains. Sessions are held virtually or in-person; some are led with music, others take place in a quiet space, followed by a guided meditation.

Some crafts are best enjoyed alone, but activities pursued in community with others like knitting groups, craft classes, scrapbooking gatherings and more provide an extra boost of well-being, says Marnie Beltz, director of marketing communications at Creative Memories, the scrapbooking brand, where an important company goal is fostering social connections. Dr. Clay Routledge, the psychologist whose work focuses on nostalgia, adds: “This isn’t just an anecdote. Our research team conducted a study, and found it is the case that when people scrapbook together, it makes them feel more connected and build closer bonds.” Scrapbooking gives individuals an outlet to say "Here’s something about me," he says.