Engaging in creative hobbies such as DIY or arts and crafts is linked to improvements in depression, anxiety, and overall life satisfaction. Research suggests that these activities can have a positive impact on mental health and wellbeing

These hobbies promote creativity, sensory engagement, cognitive stimulation, and relaxation, all of which contribute to good mental health. Many creative activities also foster social connections, helping to reduce loneliness and isolation. Additionally, they can boost self-worth, providing a sense of achievement—whether from mastering a new skill or sharing your creations with others.

 

 

Why I love crochet as a therapeutic hobby

There are many reasons why I love crochet and I find there are many therapeutic benefits to engaging in this hobby. 

From stress reduction, relaxation, the joy of creating something, the ability to personalise what I make, and feeling good about myself when I finish a project.

Depending on my mood I might make something easy and repetitive to help me relax and switch off, or I might choose a more challenging project if I’m feeling creative or if I want the distraction and sense of accomplishment. As someone who often feels guilty when I’m not being productive, it's a feel-good hobby for me in multiple ways as I end up with a decorative or functional item that I want, while allowing me to relax and enjoy the experience of creating it. 

It’s easy to do while listening to music, podcasts or audiobooks, or watching a comfort show or movie, making it extra enjoyable. I can crochet in a way that is mentally engaging without it becoming too stressful or challenging.

It’s rewarding when you end up with the finished product but addicting as there is always something new that you want to make next. And you never really run out of yarn (because you always have a little bit leftover from the last project and end up buying more).

I personally crochet as a self-care activity as well as a hobby. I find that if I’m getting burnt out or overwhelmed by work or other things going on in my life, I can pick up a project and it can quickly help me to regulate and feel more calm. 

The tactile experience and repetitive movements can be soothing and meditative. In meditation, you are often told to focus on your breathing, whereas with crochet, you are often counting the number of stitches in a row to ensure you have the correct amount. As others have said, it is easy to get into a rhythm and a flow state with crochet, similar to meditation.

 

So how does crocheting improve mental health?

An international study reported that the most popular reasons for engaging in this hobby were to be creative, to relax, and for a sense of accomplishment, with respondents claiming that crochet made them feel happier, calmer and more useful. Some people claimed that they actively use crochet for pain management, chronic illness, and dealing with grief. There is something to be said about the healing effect of crochet if people are using it for this purpose. 

Crochet is thought to help with anxiety and even PTSD symptoms. A craft blogger referred to how the focus and attention to detail of engaging in crochet can help “quiet the mind and reduce stress”, likening the relaxation she experienced to that of meditation, claiming that it can lead to “decreased anxiety and an overall sense of calm.”

Crochet is considered by some as a powerful tool which can help to process grief, loss, change, depression, and other challenging emotions.

As a counsellor, I know that when people are grieving or experiencing loss or depression, it is easy to get stuck in their dark thoughts and feel as though everything is hopeless and it can be especially difficult to imagine a positive future in those moments. Crochet contrasts this with a sense of progress and purpose and a visual representation of time passing. It provides enough of a distraction that it lets you think about something else and experience time passing while still being able to process difficult feelings and maybe this helps people to not become consumed by their grief or loss. 

I’ll add a disclaimer to say it won’t take away the pain and the difficult things that you’re going through, and it's not a substitute for therapy, but it might help you to process, cope and give you a bit of balance. 

 

Crochet for self-expression and confidence

As mentioned earlier, you can make anything with crochet. You can use it as an expressive tool for creating projects that are personal to you and represent your emotions, life experiences or personal story. You can make projects that represent your goals, struggles or aspirations. 

You can create items that symbolize comfort, protection or growth, such as scarves or blankets. Temperature blankets are a popular project where you crochet a row or section each day, using different colours to represent the day's temperature range. The same can be applied for tracking your mood or mental health, with a different colour representing your mood or mental state on a particular day.

You can make fidget toys or stress balls which can help to keep you calm and focused and regulated, even after your project is finished. Knowing the mental health benefits and using crochet in these ways gives you a sense of control over your anxiety and a way to cope with other difficult feelings and experiences. 

I personally like to crochet decorative items, blankets, accessories and wearables that I can display and make my space cosy, or wear and feel proud of what I've made with my own two hands. 

Crochet can be a fun outlet for self-expression. There are endless ways to express yourself with crochet. Once you have a basic understanding of crochet, it is relatively easy to alter patterns with your own unique take and show off your personality or style.

The sense of achievement that you get from learning these skills and finishing a project boosts self-esteem and confidence, and this is amplified when you wear or display your crochet items and receive compliments on things that you made. 

 

Does crocheting help with autism / ADHD?

I often wonder if crochet might be especially beneficial and therapeutic for neurodivergent people, as I’ve noticed it seems to be a popular hobby among autistic people and people with ADHD. 

Speaking from personal experience, I’ve found that crochet provides:

• A sense of productivity and achievement
• A way to counteract burnout from other areas of life
• A sensory and tactile experience from manipulating the yarn
• Calming, repetitive movements when creating stitches
• The ability to get into a flow state or hyperfocus
• A way to keep hands busy (similar to fidget toys) while listening to audiobooks or lectures
• A hobby that’s easy to become obsessed with

If you’re neurodivergent, have you found crochet helpful?

 

Final thoughts

I really enjoyed researching this topic and writing about my experiences with crochet. This amazing and versatile craft has so many mental health benefits, and I’m grateful that I have a place to share my passion for it. This blog post covered how crochet can help to reduce stress, anxiety and burnout, improve self-esteem and cope with pain, depression, grief, loss, change and difficult emotions. I also mentioned the benefits of improved life satisfaction, relaxation, engagement, and how it helps people feel calmer, happier and more useful.

Disclaimer: Crochet is not a substitute for therapy

If you are experiencing depression, anxiety, grief, loss, low self-esteem or anything else mentioned in this blog, I am also a counsellor and I provide online counselling to adults in the UK. You can find out more about my counselling work here, and if you want to get in touch for counselling sessions, you can contact me here.