Benefits of Craft (punch needle) on Mental Wellbeing

Written By Cynthia Popnoe-Hoad

“How can you put into a list all the benefits of punch needle on mental wellbeing?  Every time I take on a new punch needle project, I embark on a journey. The journey is a process of engaging with my own senses, colours, and imagination.  For me, this process is not always easy and takes time to develop.  This process helps me to focus my mind, connect with the creative side of my brain (as I tend to be very analytical), and set goals to complete the project.  It gives me great joy and a sense of pride when the project is completed.  Every time I complete a rug, I am still amazed that I created this rug and how it now resides in my home, giving such warmth and character.”  (cphoad)

The benefits listed below have been taken from articles I have read, personal experience, and comments made by students and fellow members of craft groups.  Although I was unable to locate specific research related to the craft of punch needle, I would assume the skills used in punch needle are on similar level to skills used in knitting, crochet, needlepoint and quilting.  With this assumption, I believe the same benefits can be applied to the craft of Punch Needle Rug Hooking.

  • Improves mood and lowers stress

  • Improves focus and concentration

  • Repetitive movements induce a form of meditation similar to mindfulness

  • Creates distraction from other stress due to the meditative quality of repetition, requiring focus and attention

  • Builds confidence

  • Increases pride and enjoyment - “rewarding to make something that is beautiful and useful”

  • Feeling of Accomplishment in learning a new skill and completing a project

  • Helps with improved life satisfaction

  • Encourages community/belonging

  • Increases social skills by learning different ways of relating to people

  • Helps to alleviate symptoms of anxiety, depression, loneliness

  • Increases self-awareness

  • Meditative quality due to the repetition, requiring focus and attention which creates a distraction from other stresses.


The following are excerpts from articles I have read that discuss the benefits of craft and some of the research supporting these benefits in the UK.

“In general, participants in arts on prescription workshops experience a significant increase in overall wellbeing, through reduction in nerves, stress and anxiety. Though seemingly different, the acts of baking, knitting, and gardening share characteristics that make them well-suited for self-care. These activities all help to improve mood and lower stress – the effort, multi-sensory engagement, repetitive actions and anticipation of satisfaction involved in making something are related to release of neurotransmitters that promote joy and well-being, while also reducing stress hormones.

The activities also have a meditative quality due to their repetition, but also require focus and attention, which can provide healthy distraction from other stresses. Along with their full engagement of the senses, these restorative practices can help us engage in mindfulness, keeping us in the present moment – which benefits our mental health by activating parts of the cortex involved with regulating emotions and dampening activity in the amygdala, which is implicated in processing negative emotions and fear.” 

(June 2020, Craft Council, 4 Reasons Craft is Good for your Mental Health.)

https://www.craftscouncil.org.uk/stories/4-reasons-craft-good-your-mental-health

“There is an enormous amount of research showing that knitting has physical and mental health benefits, that it slows the onset of dementia, combats depression and distracts from chronic pain. It is an activity that can be continued into extreme old age,” the report revealed. “It is a sociable activity that helps overcome isolation and loneliness, too often a feature of old age. It is a skill that can continue when sight and strength are diminished.”

(March 2018, Huffington Post, Knitting Linked To Reducing Depression, Anxiety And Chronic Pain, Report Reveals
https://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/entry/knitting-linked-to-health-benefits-including-reducing-depression-and-slowing-dementia-report-reveals_uk_5aa63cb0e4b07047bec7feee

“The rhythmic repetitive movements induce a form of meditation similar to mindfulness – that pleasant state of mind when you’re existing ‘in the moment’, not mulling over the past or fretting about the future” said Corkhill. “Knitters find they can ‘zone out’ – and escape into the sanctuary of a quiet mind” [The Daily Mail]

(June 2019, Sheep and Stitch: 6 Surprising Health Benefits of Knitting) https://sheepandstitch.com/6-unexpected-benefits-of-knitting/

THE FINDINGS

          • Evidence based research shows knitting has positive health benefits, physical and mental

          • Reduces depression and anxiety

          • Lowers blood pressure

          • Slows the onset of dementia

          • Is as relaxing as yoga

          • Distracts from chronic pain

          • Provides an opportunity for creativity (at a time of reducing capacity

          • Increases sense of wellbeing

          • Reduces loneliness and isolation

          • Increases sense of usefulness and inclusion in society

(Knitting for Peace, Literature Review and Survey to Examine the Health Benefits of Knitting, Especially for the Elderly, and the Opportunities it Offers for Volunteering).
https://www.creativehertfordshire.com/networks/creative-hertfordshire/documents/health-benefits-of-knitting.pdf

Cynthia Popnoe-Hoad https://fortheloveofwool.com
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Mindful Punching