Knitting for Mental Health
Learn about the benefits of knitting for your mental health
8/11/20252 min read
For those who don’t know, I started knitting at a very difficult time in my life. Knitting helped me deal with undiagnosed and, therefore, untreated bipolar disorder, ADHD, and anxiety. Don’t just take my word for it though; studies have shown that knitting significantly helps your mental health.
Reduce Stress
Anxiety and stress can make the nervous system feel dysregulated, while knitting has been shown to reverse these effects. The rhythm and repetition of knitting work similarly to EMDR therapy, which uses eye movements and tapping to activate the parasympathetic nervous system, calming you down. I have personally found knitting to be very meditative and relaxing.
Focus and Concentration
Knitting requires focus, which may sound difficult to my fellow ADHDers! But I have found that the concentration needed helps ground me in the present moment, and it can even help me focus more on the things going on around me. I usually can even pay closer attention to a conversation while I’m knitting (as long as the pattern isn’t too complicated). Studies have shown that focusing on something constructive, like knitting, can help quiet racing thoughts and negative thinking.
Cognitive Benefits
Activities that require active thought have been shown to help keep your brain sharp, reducing the risk of dementia. Knitting projects often require a lot of planning: what size to make, what colors to use, what techniques to incorporate, which fibers will work best, what needle size gets the right gauge, how the thing is constructed, and how much yarn you’ll need. All of this needs to be considered before you even cast on! While you’re knitting, since you’re using both hands, both sides of your brain get activated (called bilateral stimulation). Bilateral stimulation helps the two hemispheres of your brain communicate more effectively.
Emotional Regulation
Knitting can provide people with a better sense of agency, since you’re producing something tangible. Seeing a finished product of your work helps you feel more in control of the world around you, and perhaps your inner world as well, as it makes you feel like your time was well-spent. Being able to use something that you made with your own hands can be a nice self-esteem boost as well, especially if you receive compliments on your work!
Community
The knitting community is much larger than you may think, and the knitters I’ve connected with have generally been some of the kindest people I’ve met (of course, there are always exceptions; I met a particular knitting group once that was very unfriendly to me, but that was only one instance in the 18 years I’ve been knitting). If you go to a knitting group in person or virtually, people are usually happy to help you with any issues or questions you may have. We try to help each other out whenever we can. Sharing our passion for knitting can keep us from feeling isolated and alone. I’ve made many friends through knitting over the years, and am still finding connections with new people all the time! Regardless of your knitting goals, I wholeheartedly believe there is plenty of room for all of us to succeed.
If you enjoyed this blog post, please let me know! I am considering writing a book on this topic soon, and will include many of my personal experiences with knitting for mental health. As always, feel free to reach out using the form below, I’d love to hear from you. Happy stitching!
