In this edition of The Editor Wants to Know! I asked you in my Facebook Live video:

How does your knitting help you de-stress?

What a great conversation it was! You can check out the video here and leave your comments below the video to keep the convo going!

In the video, I share 6 these really useful ways that Knitting can help us feel calmer and happier. I talked about these in detail in the video, but here’s a handy list for you as well:

1. You become more patient – when you’re standing in line, or sitting in a doctor’s office. No worries… you’ve got your knitting!  I know that ever since knitting came into my life, times that used to make me impatient are now opportunities.
2. You feel calmer – all we need to do is sit for a few minutes and we can see how the act of knitting does this.
3. It’s good for your brain – studies have shown that as we age, if we keep ourselves busy with actives such as knitting this will really help us to stay sharp.
4. Helps you work out a problem – I know for myself, my knitting has been my refuge during times of crisis or pain because it brings me a sense of joy and comfort.
5. Helps you be more mindful – because knitting is like my form of meditation. I knit the first thing every morning while I listen to inspiring podcasts or audio books, and it is like brain candy for me. It really sets the tone for the day.
6. It can help you overcome an addiction or bad habit – if you’re trying to stop smoking, snacking or you want to tame a bad habit, picking up knitting needles can be very instrumental to your success.

I also take things a step further and love to express my love for knitting through creating collages with knitting-inspired elements. When I have time to do this, I really get lost in the activity.

So how about you? Do you use any of these methods, or can you share some inventive ways you use your knitting to de-stress? Maybe bring it into a journal writing practice perhaps?

Join me on the Creative Knitting Facebook Page and to watch the video now!