Hello there, lovely sewists! I love how we all share a passion for sewing, regardless of whether we’re just starting out or have been doing it for years. Sewing is not only an enjoyable activity for creating clothes, home items, and gifts, but it also has such a positive impact on our mental health. In this post, I share the various ways sewing can help us feel happier and more relaxed, while looking at why it’s such an incredible activity for our minds and wellbeing!
Staying Focused and Present (Mindfulness)
Have you noticed how sewing helps us stay focused and in the present moment? When we’re concentrating on the details of our projects, our minds stay in the present moment. This focus helps us forget about our worries for a while and can bring a sense of calm into our lives. By being in the moment, we can enjoy our sewing time more and feel less stressed overall.
Feeling Good About Ourselves (Sense of Accomplishment)
There’s nothing like the feeling of finishing a sewing project! From start to finish, each step shows our hard work and creativity. When we complete a project, we feel good about ourselves, and it helps our mental well-being. This sense of accomplishment can boost our confidence and make us feel proud of our skills.
Showing Our Creativity (Self-Expression)
Sewing gives us so many chances to be creative. We can choose our favourite fabrics, patterns, and decorations to make everything unique and personal. This creative process can make us feel happy and help us deal with stress. Sewing allows us to express ourselves and turn our ideas into something real, which is a great way to improve our mental health!
Connecting with Others (Social Interaction)
Sewing can be a way to meet new people who love sewing too. We can join online groups, social media, or local sewing clubs to connect with others who share our interests. Having friends and being social is important for our mental health. By sharing our sewing experiences, we can learn from others and feel supported in our hobby.
Learning to Overcome Challenges (Problem Solving)
Sewing can sometimes be difficult, but facing challenges can be good for our mental health. When we work through problems like fixing mistakes or learning new skills, we become stronger and better at solving problems in other parts of our lives too. Sewing teaches us to be patient and keep trying, even when things don’t go as planned.
Always Learning (Lifelong Learning)
There are always new things to learn in sewing, like new techniques or tools. When we keep learning, our minds stay active, and it helps us feel happier. Learning new skills and trying new projects can keep sewing fresh and exciting, which is great for our mental health.
Relaxation and Stress Relief (Unwinding)
Sewing can be a relaxing hobby, helping us unwind after a long day or during a busy week. The gentle, repetitive motions of sewing can help our minds and bodies feel calmer, reducing stress and anxiety. By focusing on our sewing, we can take a break from the demands of daily life and enjoy some peaceful time for ourselves.
Setting and Achieving Goals (Motivation)
Sewing projects often involve setting goals, like finishing a garment by a certain date or learning a new technique. Working towards these goals can help us feel motivated and engaged in our hobby. When we achieve our goals, we can feel a sense of satisfaction and accomplishment, which is excellent for our mental health.
Building Patience and Persistence (Resilience)
Sewing can sometimes test our patience, especially when we encounter difficulties or setbacks. Learning to be patient and persistent in our sewing projects can help us develop these valuable qualities in other areas of our lives. By practicing patience, we become better equipped to handle challenges and frustrations, not only in sewing but in everyday life.
Personal Growth and Development (Self-Improvement)
As we progress in our sewing journey, we’ll find that we’re not just improving our sewing skills but also growing personally. Sewing can teach us valuable life lessons, such as patience, resilience, and the importance of learning from our mistakes. These personal growth experiences can help us feel more confident and capable in other areas of our lives, contributing to our overall happiness and mental health.
Crafting a Sense of Identity (Self-Discovery)
Our sewing projects usually reflect our personal tastes and preferences, making them an extension of our identities. As we create unique and meaningful pieces, we’re also crafting a sense of self. This process of self-discovery and self-expression can help us feel more connected to ourselves, resulting in better mental health and a stronger sense of self-worth.
Sewing as a Form of Self-Care (Well-Being)
Taking time for ourselves and our hobbies is essential for maintaining a healthy balance in life. Sewing can be a form of self-care, allowing us to spend time doing something we love and find rewarding. By dedicating time to sewing, we’re investing in our mental well-being and ensuring that we have a healthy outlet for relaxation and stress relief.
The wrap up…
Sewing is an amazing activity that can provide numerous mental health benefits. From helping us stay focused and present to connecting with others, sewing offers a wide range of ways to improve our mental well-being. So, next time you sit down to sew, remember that you’re doing something that’s not only fun and creative but also great for your mind and happiness. So keep on enjoying and embracing the many mental health benefits of sewing!
Happy sewing,
Andrea
Related
FAQs
Sewing has been proven to have stress-reducing effects on the brain, promoting relaxation and calm. The rhythmic motion of the needle moving through fabric can be meditative and help release tension.
What are the mental benefits of sewing? ›
Sewing has been proven to have stress-reducing effects on the brain, promoting relaxation and calm. The rhythmic motion of the needle moving through fabric can be meditative and help release tension.
Why is self-care important for mental health? ›
Self-care means taking the time to do things that help you live well and improve both your physical health and mental health. This can help you manage stress, lower your risk of illness, and increase your energy. Even small acts of self-care in your daily life can have a big impact.
Can sewing help depression? ›
Sewing helps many sewists manage mental illness. This craft can help you feel less low, and I think the support sewists give each other also provides a boost. I thought hard about my sewing practice and my depression and anxiety, and I came up with 24 (more, really) ways sewing can brighten your mood.
Can sewing help with anxiety? ›
When you concentrate on sewing, your current project will engross you. This meditation will bring on feelings of relaxation, also encouraging positive thoughts. The practice will also reduce your anxiety and stress as you unwind and become immersed in your sewing project.
How does sewing affect the brain? ›
Sewing has a range of mental and emotional health benefits, including boosting patience and attention to detail, speeding up productivity, and increasing dopamine levels. Sewing is all about community, too, as it benefits social health by bringing people together through a common interest.
What are 5 ways to improve mental health? ›
5 steps to mental wellbeing
- Connect with other people. Good relationships are important for your mental wellbeing. ...
- Be physically active. Being active is not only great for your physical health and fitness. ...
- Learn new skills. ...
- Give to others. ...
- Pay attention to the present moment (mindfulness)
If we don't take time for self-care, we can experience increases in anxiety, anger, fatigue, depression, and heart disease (Ali, 2019). Research has shown that self-care can reduce stress and anxiety levels while increasing self-compassion (Shapiro, et. al., 2007).
What are the benefits of mental health? ›
If you have good mental health, you might feel happy, confident, hopeful and generally satisfied with life. You are likely to feel connected to other people and to be making a contribution to society. You might also have a sense of meaning or purpose and a feeling of being at peace.
How can sewing help emotionally? ›
It Reduces Anxiety and Stress
Whether they work with an advanced sewing machine or just learn through needlework, this art helps them relax their mind. The concentration required while sewing and the resulting distraction of the mind from the negative thoughts promotes a positive attitude.
The repetitive and rhythmic nature of sewing can help reduce stress and anxiety. It engages the mind in a way that distracts from worries and negative thoughts. The satisfaction of completing a project can also release feel-good hormones, promoting emotional well-being.
Is sewing good therapy? ›
Increasingly, research shows that craft activities like sewing release the feel-good hormone dopamine. These activities provide a distraction from worries, give people a creative outlet and a sense of accomplishment, and help people feel happier.
Is sewing a skill or hobby? ›
It's a hobby that can help you to improve your confidence.
Sewing itself is a relatively easy thing to do, but learning to use a sewing machine is a lot harder. It's relatively easy to start as a craft hobby, and it doesn't require a lot of expensive equipment.
Is sewing a skill or talent? ›
Sewing is a hobby to some and a skill for mending and re-purposing one's family's clothing to others, as well as a thriving industrialized business. This skill is used by those in the clothing and upholstery industries, and is used in the manufacture of many different types of cloth (sails, tarps, shoes, etc.).
Why is sewing so important? ›
First of all, it gives people useful skills that let them make and fix their clothes, accessories, and home décor. When repairs are possible, this ability not only saves money but also lessens the need to buy new products.
Why is sewing so relaxing? ›
Sewing can boost your mood and improve your self-esteem
Crafts like sewing prompt the release of dopamine, which triggers the brain's reward system. This makes us associate sewing with feelings of pleasure.
Why is sewing so addictive? ›
The Science Behind Sewing Addiction
The process of sewing can trigger the release of dopamine, a neurotransmitter associated with pleasure and reward. Completing a project or learning a new technique can provide a dopamine boost, reinforcing the desire to sew more.
Why does sewing make me happy? ›
Learning and building skills, gaining competency, and successfully completing even the simplest projects has very real effects on how we feel about ourselves. It improves our confidence and makes us believe in ourselves.
Why is sewing so satisfying? ›
Having agile minds and bodies tend to make us feel more agile and alert. Plus being able to make and mend does wonders for our self –esteem. There is also something wonderful about pointing to a new dress or a restyled jacket and saying: “I did that.” So much of modern activity doesn't have a physical end result.
