Therapeutic Knitting to Manage Stress, Depression and Chronic Pain

When I feel stressed, overwhelmed, depressed, or anxious, I just sit down and knit. Knitting slows me down. It grounds me and allows me to get lost in my thoughts.  It make me feel relaxed, in control, and happy. I have always  just known that it makes me feel good!

As a fellow knitter, physiotherapist Betsan Corkhill, also recognized those “feel good” effects of knitting, and has taken this knowledge to whole new level.  Corkhill is the founder of Stitchlinks, an organization which aims to find out more about the therapeutic benefits of knitting. The findings are fascinating!

Therapeutic Benefits of Knitting

Knitting is an effective, easily accessible tool that everyone can use to manage daily stresses. But it is also a valuable self-help tool for those dealing with more serious mental health issues and/or medical conditions.  The main conditions that therapeutic knitting is used for are:

  • Stress
  • Low mood
  • Depression
  • Anxiety
  • Post-traumatic Stress Disorder
  • Addiction
  • Eating Disorders
  • Chronic pain
  • Chronic Fatigue and Fibromyalgia

Knitting as Mindfulness Meditation

Anecdotal evidence strongly suggests that knitting can induce a form of meditation very similar to Mindfulness. Recent research has shown that Mindfulness can be very effective in treating depression and chronic pain.   

Betsan Corkhill writes,

Mindfulness can be a difficult technique to teach, particularly to those who need it the most – the highly stressed, those suffering chronic pain or depression. These conditions make it difficult to concentrate the mind. Knitting is exciting because it opens up the benefits of Mindfulness to everyone.

When Corkhill surveyed over 3,500 knitter with Cardiff University, they found that the more frequently people knitted, the happier and calmer they said they felt.

Eighty one percent of respondents said the felt happier during and after knitting, and 54% of the respondents who were clinically depressed said knitting made them feel happy or very happy.

Like Yoga, knitting uses physical movements to induce a state of mindfulness and affect a change in your state of mind.

It can leave you feeling more in touch with the real world.

“It’s the rhythmic, repetitive movements that are important,” Corkhill explains.

Similar to a yoga flow, the rhythm of working the same stitch over and over again calms the heart rate and breathing, creating a feeling of stability and inner quiet.

 Manage Chronic Pain with Knitting

Research suggests that the rhythmical, repetitive motions of knitting could enhance the release of serotonin, a hormone that regulates mood, learning, and sleep.

Serotonin is a naturally occurring analgesic (painkiller), and low serotonin levels have been linked to depression and anxiety disorders, as well as decreased pain thresholds.

This could explain why knitters have reported improved mood, feelings of calmness and lower levels of pain.

For those dealing with chronic pain and long-term medical conditions, life can be especially challenging.

Through Stichlinks, Corkhill has received many stories from people who described feeling out of control of their lives, worthless, lonely and isolated because of chronic illness.

However, the discovery of knitting had a hugely positive impact on their well-being.

First and foremost, knitting gave them something to do during enforced periods of rest. They no longer felt “lazy,” and instead found something productive, creative and enjoyable to do.

Forgotten feelings, such as excitement and anticipation, were rekindled and they began to plan ahead, set goals, and experience increased self-esteem.

The ability to give gifts or knit for charity gave their self-esteem a further boost.

Many of people who have written to Corkhill about their experiences of therapeutic knitting describe being able to “forget” the pain. Even those experiencing severe pain said that it was effective.

Indeed, researchers have found that  the brain can’t concentrate on two things at the same time, and so if you are able to occupy the mind sufficiently, your brain won’t be able to interpret the pain-inducing signals.

Therapeutic Benefits of Knitting for Mind and Body

Knitting has therapeutic benefits for both the mind and the body.

Traditional western medicine tends to treat the body and not the mind, but research has shown that a person’s thought processes and attitude has a significant impact on health, recovery, and well-being.

Therapeutic knitting deals with issues of loneliness, social isolation, self-esteem, stress/anxiety, and an unoccupied mind that’s left to ruminate on problems.

It can boost confidence, self-esteem, motivation and mood.

It can change negative thoughts and attitudes into positive ones.

Whether you are dealing with the daily ups and downs of a stressful, busy life, or dealing with chronic health issues, we all could benefit from reducing the amount of stress we experience in our daily lives.  

Being able to ‘switch off’ for a short time every day gives the mind a break and is beneficial to well-being.So take some time for yourself every day, and knit.

You will be happy that you did.

Peace, love & Knit Om,

Becky

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Becky teaches therapeutic knitting and mindfulness meditation as a mind-body practice to help people reclaim their health, joy, and happiness so they may live more meaningful, pleasurable, and stress-free lives.

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23 Responses

    1. Thanks Dad! You should absolutely go and get yourself some needles! You could incorporate some knitting alongside your yoga practice and you would be the hippest Pops in town!

  1. Oh my goodness! Amazing article dude! Thanks, However I
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  2. Hi, Wonderful post. I had never heard of Stitchlinks. As a chronic pain sufferer, I found this most helpful. I have been knitting to ease my pain for years. I feel so validated! lol. Do you know if they have a Ravelry group?
    As one blogger to another…good job, nice work!
    Gina

    1. Hi Gina,
      Thanks for your kind words. I’m so glad to hear that you found it validating and helpful and am sorry to hear that you suffer from chronic pain. As knitters, we just “know” that knitting makes us feel better. However, I hadn’t realized that the benefits of knitting were so significant until I started researching for this post. The scientific research and findings that support therapeutic knitting is both fascinating and exciting.
      I found the founder of Stitchlinks, Betsan’s profile here: http://www.ravelry.com/people/corker
      Here are a few groups on Ravelry that you might be interested in:
      http://www.ravelry.com/groups/chronic-stitchers
      http://www.ravelry.com/groups/chronic-bitches
      http://www.ravelry.com/groups/crafting-with-pain
      http://www.ravelry.com/groups/the-spoonies
      http://www.ravelry.com/groups/thera-knits
      http://www.ravelry.com/groups/ot-knits
      http://www.ravelry.com/groups/therapy-knitters
      I did a quick search in Ravelry groups for “therapy” and “chronic pain”. Depending on your situation and needs, you may find a more relevant group. There appears to be lots of different groups for knitters suffering from depression, anxiety, MS, Chron’s and Colitis and many other physical and mental health issues. I hope you manage to find a group that suits your needs.

      1. Wow, thanks! It didn’t occur to me to search Rav’s groups that way. Sometimes I think the symptoms cloud the thinking. ;). I’ll check them out.
        Happy blogging and knitting.
        Gina

  3. I am currently an undergrad degree student in Ireland, studying Youth & Community Work. I am doing my dissertation on knitting and crafting as a mindfullness and wellbeing tool, with particular reference to the use of technique by both staff and students within a school.
    I have been knitting as physical therapy for years, and I feel that my stress levels and my pain perception is certainly altered after a good session with knitting needles or a crochet hook!
    It’s good to see people making this link between knitting and therapeutic measures, and I shall be working on this link in an academic paper over the next year. If you have anything that you think I should look at, please let me know!!

    1. Sarah, thanks for commenting and letting me know about your research into this topic. I’d love to stay in touch and hear more about your findings. Like you, I use knitting as a form of therapy and for a long time I have recognized how much I benefit from taking short breaks to just sit and knit. My dream is for more people to discover and use knitting as part of their every day wellness routine. Stay healthy and knit on!

  4. Appreciating the time and energy you put into your blog and in depth information you provide. It’s good to come across a blog every once in a while that isn’t the same unwanted rehashed information. Excellent read! I’ve saved your site and I’m adding your RSS feeds to my Google account. deafeekdaceccdke

  5. hi, iam from Malaysian undrgrad in psychology. I want to do a research about kniting and crocheting for my thesis project. student like me have face a lot of stressful event and it lead to alot of problem . when i discover that this kind of activities can enhance cognitive, i try it my self and wow. the result was so awesome. my country does not practise this activities expecially for young people like me and i hope one day young men/women change their thought about doing something useful for their mental health. also i hope it can decrease people acdicted toward computer gaming or other unhealthy activity. can i ask is there something that u want me to do as student to discover about kniting/crochet?
    i hope i can come out with the problem that all of u facing regarding to this knit activities

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  8. Hi. I’ve mostly reserved my knitting for cooler weather activity, not that it would mean much, I’m in southern California, lol. I thoroughly enjoyed your article and especially the comments from therapeutic knitters and researchers. I too feel relief from stress and anxiety by knitting. I call it the “drone affect”. It slows down any negative thoughts and actually elevates my mood. So much more. I too feel validated by your article. Knitting is my winter “go to” but now, after reading everyone’s thoughts, I’m considering this as a significant tool, year round, to help me deal with run away thoughts. In a way, depression can be painful and knitting is natural therapy to battle negativity. I’m a Ravelry member and I too never thought to search these groups. I would love to meet up with some therapeutic knitters in my area as well.

  9. Hi,
    I ama University Professor in the U.S. My graduate students present with significant stress/anxiety. As a knitter myself I am considering teaching a course which incorporates knit and crochet with mindfulness, reiki and stress relief.

  10. I enjoy knitting and find it calming (until I tackle too difficult of a project). I desperately want to help a family member who is struggling with pain and anxiety, and nothing seems to be helping. Remembering an article I once read about dealing with grief by knitting, I decided to google “therapeutic knitting.” So happy to have found your site. Thanks.