Mindfulness is the newest mass movement in mental health and many people find it a helpful tool to manage depression, stress and anxiety among other mental health issues. Some also find a crafting hobby a useful way into a frame of mind which makes mindful living more easy.

Today we’re taking a look at mindfulness: what is it, does it help and how can crafting help you to practice mindfulness? This can help you know if that rainbow craft box you’ve just ordered could be a helpful, healthy way to manage depression or anxiety, as well as a way to make a memorable decoration for your home.

What is Mindfulness? 

Mindfulness is the practice of focussing your attention on what is occurring solely in the present moment: you witness both the world around you, and your own thoughts and feelings without judgement.

Mindfulness originated as part of Buddhist meditation practices. Known as Pali in the Buddhist tradition, it is the first of the seven factors of awakening or enlightenment. It’s since been adopted in the west, first as a meditation technique, and then by the medical mainstream as a potent tool for helping to manage mental health problems.

Does it Help? 

There is some evidence that mindfulness can help reduce the negative mental effects of depression and anxiety, as well as some of the physiological effects of stress because it decreases ‘rumination’ – excessive dwelling on negative thoughts. If you tend to spiral into an inescapable cascade of negative thoughts, then mindful techniques can help prevent that escalation. 

There are some concerns that mindfulness is scene is an inexpensive ‘magic bullet’ solution to mental health issues by some authorities, but when it’s used as one tool in the box you use to maintain your mental health it can be potent indeed.

Is Crafting Good For Mindfulness? 

If you’re interested in crafting, you’ll be pleased to learn that it can be a useful asset in producing a mindful attitude. If you’re trying to work on building practice of mindful living, then picking up a crafting hobby could be a really useful thing to do.

Practicing a craft, whether it’s weaving, knitting, embroidery or one of the many other alternatives, helps to focus you in the moment. You need to concentrate on the precision of the small physical actions you need to work on your project, whether it’s the interplay of the knitting needles or counting the threads. This focus encourages you to stay in the moment – the present required for mindful meditation.