Combating mental health disorders can be a battle that one must fight alone. Craft is an under-explored method that can assist you on your journey to recovery.
Upcycling is the process by which you can use items, that would have ended up in a landfill, and engage in a restorative craft project. Instead of buying craft material you can use things you would have usually thrown away to craft something. The advantages of upcycling as a means of recovery is manifold.
Keeping the Mind Busy
Crafting allows your mind to be preoccupied. If you are trying to cope with depression, anxiety, PTSD and other psychological disorders, focusing on a craft project keep the mind distracted from destructive, stressful and obsessive thoughts. For someone with OCD, crafting provides an outlet for obsessive tendencies.
Keeping the Body Busy
When shops buy brown envelopes and give them to you with their products, do not throw them away. Easy craft projects you can try, after you buy brown envelopes, allow you to keep your hands busy when you have a panic attack. During a mental health breakdown keeping the hands busy can prevent you from self-harm. Even if your hands are shaking as you start to craft, you will see a notable calm once you focus your energy on the craft items.
Boosting Self-worth
Psychological problems can strip one of self-esteem. You can have triggers that can make you spiral into self-loathing. Upcycling allows you to regain self-worth. The fact that you are contributing towards a noble cause and making a difference can help you feel better about yourself. By the simple act of upcycling, you are positively impacting the environment. The very thought of working for a good cause can help you regain positivity to drive your recovery forward.
Enable Communication
Shops buy brown envelopes to give you their products in. You can upcycle these envelopes to communicate with your loved ones. Your mental health may prevent you from openly talking with your loved ones. Gifting them something you have crafted can be a way of communicating your appreciation to them. You may not be able to put your feelings towards them in words anymore, but with things you make you can express your feelings silently.
Creative Outlet
Psychological disorders are illnesses that only the patient can witness. How the disorder affects you cannot be seen by others. For you to allow those you trust to get a glimpse of what you are going through, you may need more than words. Crafts will enable you to have the creative outlet that can be the window into your mind for those you choose to show. A creative outlet is crucial for mental health.
Setting a Regiment
Going back to a daily routine with mental health disorders is a tough task. On your path towards recovery, you need to take small steps towards regimenting your life. Having a set time of the day when you sit at your workstation and engage in a craft project is a big step towards getting back to a routine life.
The path to recovery from a mental health disorder is a tough one. Try your hand at upcycling to help make the process a little easier.
0 Comments