Did you know that counted cross-stitch does wonder for our mental health?
I’ve read that more than 4% of the world’s population, some 300 millions individuals, suffer from depression at some stage in their life.
During these past two Covid years many of us felt anxious, depressed, sad, irritable, hopeless, angered, confused, experiment low-self esteem or eating disorders … the list is endless!
However, not everybody can afford a therapy session, has the time and energy for it, or simply dares.
So this where counted cross-stitch comes into play, as as I wrote in my My cross-stitching journey, it’s both therapeutic and very fulfilling and does wonders for our mental health.
So you wonder how such and old-fashioned, and maybe silly creative craft can help us?
If you remember, neuroscientists agreed a long time ago that crossword puzzles were good for our brain; they have since extended their studies to elaborate needlework patterns and agree that these also greatly benefit our mental health.
Counted cross-stitch, figures that’ll amaze you!
According to the latest survey by yougov.co.uk (Q1 2022) of 1369 people representative of the British population, cross-stitching is a very popular creative activity among all age groups.
The overall result is defined as follows:
An impressive 90% of people surveyed know what cross stitch is; 36% enjoy this activity and 21% don’t, and 33% have no opinion.
If we look at these data in detail, we see the following results:
Baby-boomers learned many crafty activities when they were kids and were even taught at school. They know how to sew, knit, crochet and do cross-stitch and 29% enjoy to do cross-stitch.
Amazingly 46% of Millennials and 34% of Generation X share this same interest. This is a wonderful surprise because it seems that the tradition is maintained.
Equally interesting, it emerges that cross-stitch enthusiasts also enjoy (in order of preference) candle making, knitting, finger-painting, gymnastics, oil painting, wine-making (yes!), sewing, watching live music, skiing and winter game…. I’ll stop there because the list is very long.
The study places cross-stitch at number 43 on the list of most popular brain activities and at number 113 on the overall list of activities.
All these figures are very encouraging, as we all need a hobby ‘to escape and relax’.
A hobby is good for us and counted cross-stitch is one of them!
So having a hobby, whatever it is, is therapeutic because doing something we enjoy makes us feel happy and allows us to momentarily disconnect from our worries.
A recent UK market survey found that in the last 2 years 10% of women (among which 1/5 under the age of 45) got interested in needle craft as a hobby. And, they aren’t the only ones to be keen on the idea; nearly 20% of men in their late teens and early twenties are too!
So, if you don’t have a hobby yet, it’s time to get one, and counted cross-stitch is a perfect one because:
- It increases our concentration and improves our cognitive vitality
Counting stitches requires concentration; we are completely absorbed, constantly checking the pattern and making sure we don’t miss any stitch.
As our brain focuses on a particular task, it suppresses all external distractions; we are in this magic zone, a sort of self-induced meditation state, where we simply forget about everything that is bothering us!
This constant full attention activates and stimulates our brain, develops our creative thinking and even improves our hand-eye coordination!
We invest in our senior years, even if they still belong to our distant future!
- It reduces our levels of stress, anxiety and depression
Visualize yourself pulling your needle and thread back and forth through the cloth.
Boring? No, simply relaxing because the rhythm of the repetitive movement brings a feeling of relaxation, which triggers our body’s production of dopamine, this wonderful ‘feel-good’ hormone. The great thing is that reducing stress translates into lower blood pressure and heart rate.
Still investing in our future well-being!
- It puts us in control and develops our self-confidence
Feeling hopeless and out of control over our lives are some of the nasty mental health symptoms.
The concentration required to cross-stitch (and in particular counted cross-stitch) puts us in full control of our creation, and we can see hour by hour, day by day the progress of our pattern.
It gives us a feeling of achievement; we’re achieving something, something beautiful, something we are proud of. It’s a fantastic boost for our self-esteem and our confidence!
- Finally and not the least, cross-stitching creates a sense of belonging! There are so many of us on social networks, chatting, exchanging tips, tagging and commenting, all enjoying the pleasure, relaxation and well-being that this creative craft provides.
Counted cross-stitch is very enjoyable, so why don’t you have a go at it?
Happy cross-stitching to you!
