Why I Love To Crochet

Before discovering crochet, I had been simultaneously working as an options trader and an entrepreneur originating and leading multiple businesses. There are days when things can feel pretty darned hectic – often in the midst of a million forces pulling me in many directions.

I was so busy “being busy” that I stayed oblivious to the stress in and around me and never learned to foster the skills necessary to take care of it. Although a part of me believed I was very good at never letting the stresses of everyday life get me down, the truth was that I had forgotten how to truly unwind, how to switch off and relax. This was an immense drain on my energy.

Integrating downtime into my schedule proved far more challenging for me than I had considered. Unwinding and relaxing should be a natural and simple ability but I had no idea what to do. Whenever I had any downtime, I felt unease or a bit befuddled and often tried to plan the next thing to create.

I knew for certain that I needed to learn to relax in a different way.

Without giving myself a space to rejuvenate, I began to diminish what I could do in my business and reduced my capacity to receive everything that was possible. I truly wanted to be able to relax more but couldn't figure out what would be fun for me to do that would allow me to relax.

It was a long time before I admitted to myself that I needed to change the way I did my work and spent my day. I began to look at my life and I went “Okay, this isn’t working, what do I need to change? What else needs to be different?” Something in me knew that I needed to give myself time to just be.

The choice to change increased my awareness!

I became aware of what I had been choosing and I also received the awareness of the insanity about the way I created my life that I didn’t want to be aware of before. It felt very bumpy and shaky.

After trying lots of different relaxation solutions and activities, I finally found relief in an activity I never considered would help.

Not until I started researching obsessively about all kinds of stress-reducing techniques for adults did I discover the connection between stress, anxiety, and creative activities.

After reading research findings from many international studies exploring the effects of creativity and craft on well-being, I finally got the big aha.

Multiple research studies exposed the connection between creative activities and their power to reduce stress. According to research, creative activities can alleviate the symptoms of stress, nervousness, angst, tension, and even dementia. They also suggested that it may also increase happiness and protect the brain from damage caused by aging.

This is good news for me because I always loved creative activities. When I was young I enjoyed expressing myself creatively in many art and craft projects but I had never made the time for them as I got older. I think this was because I saw creative projects as playing, being flippant, and frivolous.

For many years, my work schedules were excessively hectic. As a share trader, investor, author, scriptwriter, and documentary creator, I spent most of the day in my office, sitting at the keyboard, writing, editing videos, meeting with my partner, keeping up with my website and social media. I was so wrapped up in nonessential stuff that I forgot to really enjoy myself.

Recently, I began structuring my days differently. I’ve allowed myself to take time out during my busy schedule to play with crochet - dared myself to stop worrying about the work commitments and fully relish the downtimes, knowing full well that “tomorrow is another day". And something amazing happened… I’m not as stressed as I used to be.

One of the reasons crochet is so relaxing is because it allows me to be fully immersed in the present moment.

I have found the simple act of crocheting to be so meditative and calming due to its repetitions process. The action of wrapping the yarn around the hook, pulling the yarn through the loops, and regularly counting rows requires focus and attention. These activity combos keep me in the present moment and stop me from drifting into my thoughts.

When my mind is overactive I find that the repetitive motion of crochet soothes and relaxes me. It puts me in a better frame of mind. The repetitive actions provide a good distraction from my worries and stresses.

Crocheting is changing the way I create my reality.

When I am feeling stressed or anxious in my daily life, I take some time for myself, pick up some yarn and a crochet hook, and spend some time being creative. By allowing myself to be creative, I'm taking my focus away from whatever is distressing me.

When I began doing crochet, I was interested in something else. Not the mental health benefits of crocheting, but as a way to incorporate enough breaks into my work activities. I didn't want to sit for long stretches staring at my computer screen.

It wasn’t until I rediscovered my love of creative activities and started taking time out to relax doing crochet during the day that I began to develop the ability to enter a real flow state spontaneously. I was unconvinced of its power at first. Crocheting seemed frivolous. But as I learned to crochet, the stress melted away.

In other words, when I "lose myself" in the act of crocheting or focusing on the repetitive motions of individual stitches and counting rows, I am practically accessing a generative flow state.

When I catch myself dwelling on negative thoughts, I make a deliberate choice to bring myself back to the work at hand. I consciously and intentionally let that feeling go in order to re-focus on the creative activity at hand. My mind is able to be more relaxed and free from anxious ideas and thoughts.

I never thought I’d hear myself say this, but I’ve grown to enjoy crocheting.

I relish the sense of creative flair and the act of using my hands along with my imagination to create something new. Better still, crocheting has taught me something about myself. I have discovered that I have an innate ability to direct energy in a conscious and generative way.

It turns out the repetitive nature of crocheting is what helps me to connect and harmonize with the universal energy. This connection transpires any time I stop, take a breath, and choose a more conscious uplifting state of being.

This is why I love to crochet.

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