Ever since I was a little girl, I always had something to do to keep me busy. In middle school, I made duct tape wallets and jewelry. Every weekend my grandma would take me to a craft store to stock up on supplies because the whole family knew I loved to sit in silence and make my duct tape creations.
In 2021, I was watching TV with my grandma and I saw an episode of “The Kelly Clarkson Show” that talked about a veteran who learned to crochet to overcome post traumatic stress disorder and help with his anxiety. He started helping other veterans learn to crochet to help with their PTSD and anxiety after coming back home.
After listening to his story, I decided to learn how to crochet. I wanted something new that would keep me busy and something that I would continue to enjoy as time went on. I didn’t think that I had anxiety then and didn’t realize these hobbies were my way of dealing with my anxiety.
I wasn’t diagnosed with severe anxiety until I was 20 years old, so when I finally received that diagnosis, I understood why I was always worried about everything and used these hobbies to cope.
I never understood why I needed something to keep me busy. After my diagnosis, I realized my hobbies were my way of keeping me calm and less anxious. I made jewelry, learned how to paint, made lip glosses and lotions and even had a small business at one point. When I would do these things, my racing thoughts would stop and I wasn’t anxious about anything.
Even now, in college, after I’ve studied for a while I’ll reward myself with a little break to crochet. It gives me time to think about what I’m going to do next and gives my brain a little break after a long stressful day.
As an adult, I crochet so I can sit down and relax. It’s nice to have something to help shut down my brain for a little bit and allow me to be in the moment, not worrying about anything else.
You don’t have to have a hobby just to cope with anxiety, you could have a hobby just because it’s something that you like to do in your free time. I even consider going to the movies as one of my hobbies because I go so often just to have time to myself and relax. Almost anything can be a hobby.
Crochet isn’t the only hobby you can pick up. You could learn how to sew, how to play an instrument and many other things. Don’t limit yourself because as long as it’s something you can enjoy, you’ve picked the perfect hobby for you.
So next time you sit down to do your favorite hobby, think about what it means to you.
