Stress Relievers

One thing in life is guaranteed: stress. No one ever said life was easy, but that is why people came up with fun ways to distract yourself when work and life gets you down. Small projects that can ease your mind are essential to staying balanced (and sane) during especially busy times. There are all kinds of stress relievers out there all of which can help ease your mind, but here we will focus on those grandma themed stress relievers: knitting and other needle crafts.

Some may think these are just for grandmas, but I learned how to knit and sew when I was in elementary school, and yes, I did it with my grandma. From beginners to more advanced, this type of hobby provides the perfect distraction, and some fun creations for your stress relieving pleasure. From pillows to scarves, grandma crafts can provide the perfect outlet for stress.

One fun knitting project: the year long scarf. In this project, you knit a row or a couple of rows a day with a color that corresponds with your mood. This may not create the prettiest project, but it can be fun to see the result after 365 days.

For those who want a quicker project, go for chunkier yarn with larger knitting needles, probably around US size 15 and up. With larger needles and yarn, you can finish a scarf in a day or two. The internet has an abundance of patterns for you to use no matter your skill level.

Check YouTube, or perform a simple Google search for knitting tutorials, from casting on, to making socks, in order to teach yourself. Don’t worry if you don’t get the hang of it immediately-- it took me two years to knit without dropping stitches or without having holes in my work.

As for other needle crafts, make them fun. For me, I made pillows. Head to a fabric store (my go to is Joann Fabric Store), and pick out some fun fabric, get some thread, needles (or use a sewing machine), and some stuffing and get started.

Again, the internet has plenty of videos to help you along, but just have fun with it and don’t worry about perfection. I made pillows of all sizes, from body pillows, to smaller squares, and none of them are perfect, but they gave me a fun distraction from work. The most important thing to remember: have fun because if you aren’t having fun, then it’s not stress relief.

Needle crafts are just one of many different stress relievers, so if these needle crafts don’t float your boat, then do like Meredith Grey and dance it out. Nothing can cure stress better than dance.

#stressrelief #DIY #projects