The resurgence of crafting has been huge, with more and more people turning to arts and crafts as an enjoyable and relaxing hobby. It’s easy to see why; crafting can be a great way to relieve stress, and can help you to focus on the here and now, helping you to clear your mind and relax. In fact, the act of making can even be compared to meditation and has been shown to improve your overall wellbeing.

It’s not just the benefits for your mental health that make making so appealing, but it’s also an effective way to express yourself and get in touch with your feelings. Using different materials to create something can be a helpful way to name and understand your feelings, or it can be a fun challenge to work out how to combine colours and textures in a piece of art or design. Collaging, decoupage and sewing are all great ways of expressing yourself creatively.

Making is a great way to be social, and you can enjoy the sense of accomplishment that comes with completing a project you’re proud of. It’s also a fantastic activity to do with children, who can gain a sense of confidence and pride from creating something they made themselves. In fact, a study in ‘The Connection Between Art, Healing and Public Health’ found that engaging with art and craft was an important part of a healthy lifestyle and that it can even improve cognitive function.

When you’re engaged in an activity such as making, the repetition of the tasks can actually activate your parasympathetic nervous system and quieten your fight or flight response. This helps you to calm down and gives you a natural feeling of happiness. This is because the process of creation actually increases your dopamine levels, which is known as the feel-good hormone.

One of the best things about crafting is that you can use whatever materials you want, which means that there are limitless possibilities for what you can create! From things you can make with recyclables and trash, to nature crafts that use the environment around you, there’s something for everyone to enjoy. You could even make your own crafting tools and materials; try knitting a scarf with repurposed scraps of yarn, or drawing your own fabric. Alternatively, there are lots of sites online that offer printable templates to get you started. So, give it a go; you never know where your creativity will take you!