World Mental Health Day 2021: Why British heroes such as Tom Daley use crafting to alleviate mental health

As Sunday marks World Mental Health Day 2021 – an international day for global mental health education, awareness and advocacy against social stigma – Olympian Tom Daley has unveiled the therapeutic and calming benefits that just 10 minutes of daily knitting and crocheting have had on his mental wellbeing. In light of this, the UK’s leading crafts supplier, LoveCrafts, would love to discuss why so many of us turn to crafts to help us alleviate our mental health problems and use them as tools for relaxation.

Brother Sewing reported that 1 in 5 Brits took up sewing or embroidering over lockdown – making it the most popular creative hobby – with more men taking this up rather than fitness. Perhaps the reason a spike in crafting has occurred over one of the most stressful periods of time is that it has been proven that crafting can help ease mental health issues and stimulate dopamine, with three-quarters of the nation stating that it has helped them deal with stress, anxiety and depression. As such, crafting has evolved from a pastime for some to mindfulness for many.

At LoveCrafts making and mindfulness go hand-in-hand. Whether we’re stitching away stress, combating nerves with needlecraft or baking to banish bothersome thoughts – making helps us find pockets of calm, and quiet the buzz in our brains.