Every May, the National Alliance on Mental Illness recognizes mental health awareness month. Their theme this year is “Turning Silence into Connection,” with the goal of lowering the stigma that surrounds mental illness. Mental Health America’s theme is “More Good Days, Together,” focusing on connection, community, and meeting people where they are at, to provide a supportive community to all who are in need.
These themes got me thinking about the different ways of connecting with our own communities. The first Saturday in May is National Scrapbooking Day. Now, why on earth would I write about this? Well, it is a hobby of mine that I’ve rekindled after a several year hiatus. And it connects with the themes for mental health awareness month. Connection and community are a vital part of everyone’s mental, emotional, physical, and spiritual well-being.
I am a big proponent of experiences over things (who needs more stuff, anyway?) When I travel, it is more important to me to book excursions and adventures than to spend money on trinkets and T-shirts. One of the main things I do when I travel is take my DSL-R camera, so that I can capture the memories that I am making with loved ones. When I get back, I then plan my next scrapbook album…a way to permanently capture the memories that I created with family and friends.
Scrapbooking is an analog hobby, something that pre-dates smartphones and digital everything. As I got into this hobby about 15 years ago, I realized there is an entire community that is involved in creating lasting memories while having fun at the same time. I’ve formed lifelong friendships through this hobby and made new connections along the way. It is a way to connect with others while using the creative side of my brain and leaving the real world for a day, as I immerse myself in the memories of going through photographs, putting them on paper and journaling about the wonderful memories made.
All of this got me to think about the health benefits of being creative, crafting, and having a community that shares the same hobby. Crafting is for all ages, races, genders, and ethnicities…anyone can do it. Crafting can take many forms: creating beautiful artwork, pottery, sewing, knitting, crocheting, card making and scrapbooking, and the newer trend of diamond dotting. Getting involved in a group of people with similar interests has immediate mental health benefits, including stress relief, increased life satisfaction, to long term cognitive protection.
Stress reduction: engaging in repetitive motions in crafts (like knitting or crocheting) can calm your nervous system and lower your blood pressure. This mimics a meditative state. It increases the production of dopamine, that “feel good” neurotransmitter that is responsible for pleasure and enjoyment.
Increased Life Satisfaction: engaging in a hobby allows you to plan for the future, having something on your calendar to look forward to. This gives you a sense of purpose and meaning to your life.
Cognitive protection: working on a craft engages multiple regions of the brain, improving your memory and problem solving, and concentration skills. The long-term benefits may help reduce cognitive decline in older adults. Completing a scrapbook, for example, is precision-focused, fosters positive memory recall by requiring you to get the photographs in the order that the event happened.
Fostering Social Connection: many of these analog hobbies had a resurgence during the COVID-19 pandemic. People needed a way to connect differently, and some felt a sense to give back to the community. There were many social circles that engaged in making masks to send to healthcare workers for protection.
Building a community and fostering connections allow us to have more good days, together. Engaging in a shared activity and experience brings us together, creating lasting memories and friendships. It bonds us in a way that is different from the other relationships that we have in life. Being crafty and creative engages our brains in a healthy way, and when we complete a project there is a sense of accomplishment and joy. It can act as a natural anti-depressant and stress reliever, bolstering our mental health. What will you do today to be creative, crafty, and build up your community and connections with others?
Visit desertstarARC.com or call 520-638-6000.
"A chance phone call just hours before that midnight deadline stopped me in my tracks."…
Asking for help seems simple enough, but it's often the hardest word to say. I…
There is almost always someone in our life who feels like a lighthouse. They are…
At Behavioral Health Connections Arizona, we have the privilege of working alongside dedicated professionals who…
“It was not until I stepped into the 12-Step community that I realized the safety…
"Ultimately, walking the journey together is about shared responsibility, mutual respect, and steady, evidence-informed support."…