27 Sep Learn to knit: 7 Reasons why you should start knitting today!
“Oh, I wanna dance with somebody – or maybe I should knit with somebody!”
Are you looking for a creative outlet after a long day at work to help you escape from your stressful daily routine? Do you want to create something with your own hands? Then knitting might just be what you need! Because not only does knitting promote joy, it also calms your nerves, which has a positive effect on your physical and mental health. Here are just some of the reasons why you should reach for a pair of needles and some yarn today:
1. Knitting helps combat stress
Increased stress levels often go hand-in-hand with a great deal of restlessness and inner anxiety for most people. Burning the candle at both ends is not good for our bodies. This is where knitting comes in – the rhythm of the needles and repeated sequences have a proven positive effect in calming our nerves. Herbert Benson, Founder of the Benson Henry Institute for Mind Body Medicine in Harvard, explains how the “repetitive action of needlework can induce a relaxed state not unlike the mindset induced by meditation and yoga.” When knitting, your body slows down, allowing your mind to temporarily let go of all thoughts and worries. The endorphin serotonin is also released in your body in the process, triggering inner peace and calm.
2. A few rows a day keep the worries away
Various studies show what most knitters already know deep down – which is that knitting makes you happy! Anxiety, grief and worries are known to eat away at the soul. Because knitting requires you to concentrate on the task at hand, there is little room left for dealing with chaotic thoughts or wallowing. You are completely present in the here and now, which stops you from worrying about anything else. This gives you much better control over negative emotions such as grief, anger, or aggravation, as it is extremely difficult for them to surface while you knit. Your problems take a backseat and you forget almost all your worries – at least temporarily. This allows you to relax and recharge your batteries.
3. Knitting helps you meet new people
Aside from the act of knitting itself, many knitters enjoy the social nature of knitting. Whether in person, as part of a local knitting group, or digitally within an online community, sharing ideas about the craft with like-minded people promotes positive feelings such as a sense of belonging, happiness, and security, and can thus significantly reduce negative feelings such as depression or loneliness. It can be an enriching experience and present a way to make new friends, which is great for your mental health.
4. Knitting improves your motor skills
When you knit, the part of the brain responsible for motor skills is stimulated, as well as the ones for the senses sight and touch, and for language processing. This is because your hands never stop moving while you knit. Depending on the type of pattern you are knitting, the movements are sometimes simple, sometimes more complex. After all, there’s a reason why knitting is used as a form of therapy for patients of Parkinson’s disease – the aim is for patients to improve their motor skills, and knitting also distracts them from other painful symptoms. Listen up critics who claim that knitting damages bones: Researchers have found that keeping our hands and arms busy actually prevents arthritis and tension. So get your needles out!
5. Knitting can help you kick old habits
Old habits die hard. You may have a goal and would like to give up certain behavior and replace it with new behavior. Do you maybe want to stop snacking in-between meals or give up smoking? No problem. Because by fully immersing yourself in your knitting project, you will be so preoccupied and distracted that you will completely forget your way to the fridge or to pick up a cigarette. Not only this, but knitting is so fulfilling that your only desire will be a pair of needles and a ball of yarn.
6. Knitting helps you with digital detoxing and trains your memory
In a world full of technology and distractions, we are quick to reach for our digital devices and are more likely to do things digitally than to actually take action in real life. Knitting is an easy and affordable way to get away from all the technology around you for a few hours a day and to consciously make time for yourself. In the time not spent looking at some screen and artificial light, your eyes will be given a break and you will learn to really appreciate time again. What does knitting have in common with learning to ride a bike? Both require consistent practice and the dedication to learn a new skill. Even experienced knitters make mistakes. However, the trial-and-error aspect of knitting trains your memory and helps you to recall past mistakes and to develop strategies to avoid them in future.
7. Knitting simply makes you feel good and gives you a sense of pleasure and pride!
Create your own world! Knitting means transforming a strand of yarn into something completely new, something you can wear. This sense of achievement will not only make you proud and happy, but also fills you with an inner sense of satisfaction and gives you the feeling that you have achieved something. Knitting also allows you to escape your thoughts and switch off, while your hands have something to do. And this is where the magic happens: knitting is both calming and productive at the same time. After a day of relaxing, you will be able to hold a new hat or scarf in your hands. When you knit, you set your own goals in line with your personal preferences. You are in control of the time that you make for just you and fill this time with meaning.
Has this got you curious? Then why not take a look at my Events Calendar to see if there’s a suitable event for you. I’ll show you just how great and multifaceted knitting really is. But be warned: Knitting is addictive! Once you start, you may never stop!
XOXO
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