Stress and Knitting

One of the reasons I love knitting is because it is a great way to de-stress. I am in several AP classes, and most of my other classes are honors. I have a lot of homework, and not to mention your usual high school drama! Personal life mixed in with school often creates a ton of stress, and during the school year I find myself often becoming overwhelmed with stress.

During the softball season, when I would get home late, leave class early, and just become overall frustrated with the season, I would often come home and completely break down. I mean full on, tears and punching pillows. And that was before I even had a chance to start my homework, which would usually result in another ten minutes of stress-breathing.

But anyway, as I was perusing some articles about busting stress, I came across this one here (which is actually pretty helpful): http://www.ivillage.com/30-days-30-ways-less-stress/4-b-329862#329906

This page is actually about knitting, and it has some pretty neat facts about how good knitting or stuff like that is good for you. Apparently with just 20 minutes of knitting, you're put into a light meditative state which dials down stress hormones by 45%. That is pretty astounding, if you ask me. There really is something about knitting, for me anyway, that is so relaxing. The methodical, rhythmic repetition is something that my busy, fidgeting hands crave, and my frayed nerves have come to love. Now ever since I picked up a pair of needles, I have known about how great knitting is for stress relief. But this little article kind of jogged some writing juices and I felt like I should share it for everyone who feels the same way.

So, with school starting again in two days, I'll try and keep this in mind. Even if I have tons of work to do, I think I could find the time for 20 minutes of knitting to help calm me down. When I have a project going, I try and knit a few rows every night before bed, to help me get relaxed for bed. So now that I'm armed with my needles and my yarn, I'll be ready to kick off second semester with a bang, and a defense against stress.