Craft For Health

The Stress Connection and the Craft Solution by Nancy Monson

Who isn’t stressed these days? Be it our finances, our jobs, our families, our weight, our health, there’s a lot to get worked up about.

Of course we know that too much stress is bad for us, but how do we lighten the load? Sure, there are the standard stress-reducing techniques: exercise, meditation, yoga and tai chi. But we crafters have a secret weapon—our hobbies. Yes, they’re not just self-indulgences, they’re actually therapeutic!

 

I’ve been researching and writing about crafts and healing for several years now (I’m a health writer by profession, a quilter/multimedia crafter by passion). I even found a study published in the prestigious Journal of the American Medical Association that showed sewing is more relaxing than playing a card or videogame or reading a newspaper.

 

Other studies show that engaging in creative activities can reduce the risk of Alzheimer’s disease, as well as medication use and doctors’ visits. Writing about stressful experiences in a diary can reduce symptoms in people with asthma and rheumatoid arthritis.

 

Journaling about bad or traumatic events can also help improve memory and concentration. Most telling of all, it appears that rhythmic and repetitive activities—like knitting, sewing, quilting and ceramics—can actually reverse the stress response in the body and induce a feeling of calmness in the mind and body. This is known as the relaxation response, and Dr. Herbert Benson (www.mbmi.org) has proven that regularly bringing on the relaxation response can reduce the risk of anxiety disorders, depression, and even heart disease.

 

Why are crafts healing? Largely because they distract you from your worries and anxieties. They make you focus on the here and now. They’re fun.

So craft on—it’s good for you!

 

Nancy Monson is the authof of Craft To Heal.  For more information please visit her blog.

 

Nancy is also conducting a study and asking : Are you feeling stressed out by your finances, your job, your relationships, or just life in general?  Do you want to stay home(!) to participate in a crafts and wellness study---and earn $25? The study requires a 1-hour commitment per day for 1 week.  You must be 18 or older to participate.    Contact Study Leader Nancy Monson for Information and to apply at  NancyMonson @ earthlink (dot) net 

 

Playing Fashion Designer after being Kidnapped and Held Hostage

Empowerment from an Unlikely Situation

by Veronica Cizmar

 

I have always wanted to work for myself and received the opportunity about 6 years ago. Having just been released from 16 months of being held hostage and tortured by my former fiancé, I was left with battling post-traumatic-stress-syndrome. Not being able to work and completely bankrupt, I realized it would be quite impossible to merge back into the workforce and toil for someone else. My hostage situation left me with a volatile temper creating at the time, tension in all relationships.

 

With the help of karate classes I began to deal with my anger issues and gradually came to a place where I could once more enter the workforce. But what to do? Collecting vintage was an old hobby I did as a teenager so along with a friend, began selling vintage clothing on ebay. It proved popular enough to launch a website. A year later I took the company solo and expanded to what it is today - a successful online vintage store, Some Like it Vintage.com. Donating 10% of all my sales to local women's shelters, I am proud to help others who may need escape from a violent situation.

Being a lover of all things vintage connects perfectly with my recycling lifestyle. Sorting through my vintage clothing shipments, I often find garments I can not sell. There is a certain amount of cleaning and repair that is needed with most garments, but then there are those gems that transmit inspiration. Inspiration to alter them slightly or go beyond just a simple re-sewing of a button - these pieces need extra loving care. I name this my 'Creative Vintage'  line of clothing. A garment that is updated or changed by sewing other vintage trims or fabrics; shortening or lenghtening...maininting a vintage style but with an urban edge to it. Playing fashion designer allows me to escape from the administrative side of my business and utilize the creative side of my brain! It is equal to a mini holiday allowing me to relax and be thankful for all that has come to me.

Today I am kept busy with running the website, volunteering with and donating to women's shelters, and training in martial arts. Last year I received my first degree black belt in Wado Ryu karate - a proud accomplishment I also share with women at the shelter through monthly self-defense workshops.

 

To see the Creative Vintage line, visit www.somelikeitvintage.com or http://www.somelikeitvintage.com/category/creative-vintage/catId=3112678