Finding Your Flow — The Value of Crochet!

Finding Your Flow in Crochet

Crocheting has been around for centuries and it’s still extremely popular today. Journalist Maddie Hiatt writes that 81% of people who crochet feel happier. Aside from positively affecting their mood, it can also help relieve arthritis and other chronic illnesses.

It’s no secret that many people have found comfort and purpose in crochet. Recently, Lakeview Cottage Kids participated in an event organized by Christine Naugle at the SweetPotato3.com Blog, called the Crochet Cancer Challenge where participants are given patterns to help create beanies for cancer patients. It’s an initiative to raise awareness for the disease and give some cheer to those affected by it. In many ways, crochet has become more than just a hobby, it’s become an activity that can help you ground yourself in everyday life. Crochet can also be used to help you get into the flow state.

What is the flow state?

According to the author of Finding Flow, Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi, walking through our days unaware and out of touch with our emotional lives leads us to two extremes: anxiety and passive boredom. This can often cause people to lose touch with the emotional part of themselves. People can achieve a flow state by doing daily tasks differently, appreciating the changes, and finding joy in the task. Oftentimes, people can get into a flow state by appreciating every single step in everyday activities, such as crocheting. This can be life-changing for many people who have lost their driving force in life.

Most people strive to achieve flow in their everyday lives without even knowing it. This is commonly known as the time when people are “in the zone.” This makes even the most mundane of actions worthwhile and fulfilling. Striving for a flow state can bring a sense of satisfaction and happiness for those who try it. It also lets people focus without becoming stressed or being under pressure.

How does crocheting help achieve a flow state?

Crocheting can either be difficult or easy, depending on your skill level and the pattern you’re trying to accomplish. Whichever the case may be, crocheting is beneficial for people’s mental health. Research done for peer-reviewed journal Perspect Public Health proves that it is a very therapeutic activity that allows for a lot of thinking and reflection. It is also a low-cost activity that is highly accessible. Because of how it affects people, crocheting can help people enter a flow state.

Teacher and health enthusiast Erica Martin talks about how crocheting helped her with gaining lost focus. Crocheting was definitely a challenge that she had to start slowly and continue learning about. She worked on it every day and in the end, she found the activity drove her to achieve balance in her life. This proves that once people find their “flow,” they will be able to feel more fulfilled with their life and will find a new sense of purpose. The flow state aims for people to find happiness in fulfilling tasks and finishing a crochet project that you worked hard on will help you achieve this.

The flow state is all about gaining satisfaction and joy with daily accomplishments. You can try crocheting to understand and reach this goal. Not only is it proven to be good for you, but it may help you rediscover happiness from the simple things in life.

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