As someone who started writing as a child, I could honestly say that crafts do help with my Mental Health. Writing in a journal helped me cope with an abusive home life and school life. I didn't have close friends (and still don't) who I could confide in. Family members were nigh on next to useless, too. So, that journal became my best friend.

Although now I don't write for therapeutic reasons, I do still write for enjoyment. The crafts I do now, not including writing, help my Mental health enormously. The skills that I will be utilising over the next year will be:

• Photography. Macro photography of wildlife and flowers mainly. I hope to upload new designs for Redbubble and Society6, the two main POD stores I have open. Incidentally, I have yet to sell on either of these stores but that could just be my lack of promotion etc.
• Crafts in various forms including painting, making jewellery, pyrography and engraving. The last one is a new skill so have yet to really get that one nailed. My painting is also lacking so really need to step up on that too. One thing I have noticed, with the painting is that I don't like practicing. I have no interest in storing (probably because I can't properly and they are at risk of damage) endless practice sheets. If I paint, it's for sale which is ludicrous really because they're not good enough by my own standards to sell.
• Writing. I want to finish this one book if nothing else. The idea has been in my head for years and it's about time I get it down on paper. The way I write and improve is also not the best way, but hey, I don't follow rules.