Stitch Away Stress.

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#1 [Permalink] Posted on 20th August 2017 20:29

In this thread I aim to post articles on different methods of what Psychologists Call Craft and Art therapy. If you are suffering from Stress, anxiety, depression, it might be beneficial for you to attending classes and learn a new skill or craft it will help boost your confidence and keep your mind preoccupied.

The Health Benefits of Knitting

BY JANE E. BRODY JANUARY 25, 2016

About 15 years ago, I was invited to join a knitting group. My reluctant response — “When would I do that?” — was rejoined with “Monday afternoons at 4,” at a friend’s home not three minutes’ walk from my own. I agreed to give it a try.

My mother had taught me to knit at 15, and I knitted in class throughout college and for a few years thereafter. Then decades passed without my touching a knitting needle. But within two Mondays in the group, I was hooked, not only on knitting but also on crocheting, and I was on my way to becoming a highly productive crafter.

I’ve made countless afghans, baby blankets, sweaters, vests, shawls, scarves, hats, mittens, caps for newborns and two bedspreads. I take a yarn project with me everywhere, especially when I have to sit still and listen. As I’d discovered in college, when my hands are busy, my mind stays focused on the here and now.

It seems, too, that I’m part of a national resurgence of interest in needle and other handicrafts, and not just among old grannies like me. The Craft Yarn Council reports that a third of women ages 25 to 35 now knit or crochet. Even men and schoolchildren are swelling the ranks, among them my friend’s three grandsons, ages 6, 7 and 9.

Last April, the council created a “Stitch Away Stress” campaign in honor of National Stress Awareness Month. Dr. Herbert Benson, a pioneer in mind/body medicine and author of “The Relaxation Response,” says that the repetitive action of needlework can induce a relaxed state like that associated with meditation and yoga. Once you get beyond the initial learning curve, knitting and crocheting can lower heart rate and blood pressure and reduce harmful blood levels of the stress hormone cortisol.

But unlike meditation, craft activities result in tangible and often useful products that can enhance self-esteem. I keep photos of my singular accomplishments on my cellphone to boost my spirits when needed.

Since the 1990s, the council has surveyed hundreds of thousands of knitters and crocheters, who routinely list stress relief and creative fulfillment as the activities’ main benefits. Among them is the father of a prematurely born daughter who reported that during the baby’s five weeks in the neonatal intensive care unit, “learning how to knit preemie hats gave me a sense of purpose during a time that I felt very helpless. It’s a hobby that I’ve stuck with, and it continues to help me cope with stress at work, provide a sense of order in hectic days, and allows my brain time to solve problems.”

A recent email from the yarn company Red Heart titled “Health Benefits of Crocheting and Knitting” prompted me to explore what else might be known about the health value of activities like knitting. My research revealed that the rewards go well beyond replacing stress and anxiety with the satisfaction of creation.

For example, Karen Zila Hayes, a life coach in Toronto, conducts knitting therapy programs, including Knit to Quit to help smokers give up the habit, and Knit to Heal for people coping with health crises, like a cancer diagnosis or serious illness of a family member. Schools and prisons with craft programs report that they have a calming effect and enhance social skills. And having to follow instructions on complex craft projects can improve children’s math skills.

Some people find that craftwork helps them control their weight. Just as it is challenging to smoke while knitting, when hands are holding needles and hooks, there’s less snacking and mindless eating out of boredom.

I’ve found that my handiwork with yarn has helped my arthritic fingers remain more dexterous as I age. A woman encouraged to try knitting and crocheting after developing an autoimmune disease that caused a lot of hand pain reported on the Craft Yarn Council site that her hands are now less stiff and painful.

A 2009 University of British Columbia study of 38 women with the eating disorder anorexia nervosa who were taught to knit found that learning the craft led to significant improvements. Seventy-four percent of the women said the activity lessened their fears and kept them from ruminating about their problem.

Betsan Corkhill, a wellness coach in Bath, England, and author of the book “Knit for Health & Wellness,” established a website, Stitchlinks, to explore the value of what she calls therapeutic knitting. Among her respondents, 54 percent of those who were clinically depressed said that knitting made them feel happy or very happy. In a study of 60 self-selected people with chronic pain, Ms. Corkhill and colleagues reported that knitting enabled them to redirect their focus, reducing their awareness of pain. She suggested that the brain can process just so much at once, and that activities like knitting and crocheting make it harder for the brain to register pain signals. More of Stitchlinks findings are available at their website.

Perhaps most exciting is research that suggests that crafts like knitting and crocheting may help to stave off a decline in brain function with age. In a 2011 study, researchers led by Dr. Yonas E. Geda, a psychiatrist at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn., interviewed a random sample of 1,321 people ages 70 to 89, most of whom were cognitively normal, about the cognitive activities they engaged in late in life. The study, published in the Journal of Neuropsychiatry & Clinical Neurosciences, found that those who engaged in crafts like knitting and crocheting had a diminished chance of developing mild cognitive impairment and memory loss.

Although it is possible that only people who are cognitively healthy would pursue such activities, those who read newspapers or magazines or played music did not show similar benefits. The researchers speculate that craft activities promote the development of neural pathways in the brain that help to maintain cognitive health.

In support of that suggestion, a 2014 study by Denise C. Park of the University of Texas at Dallas and colleagues demonstrated that learning to quilt or do digital photography enhanced memory function in older adults. Those who engaged in activities that were not intellectually challenging, either in a social group or alone, did not show such improvements.

Given that sustained social contacts have been shown to support health and longevity, those wishing to maximize the health value of crafts might consider joining a group of like-minded folks. I for one try not to miss a single weekly meeting of my knitting group.

well.blogs.nytimes.com/2016/01/25/the-health-benefits-of-...

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#2 [Permalink] Posted on 20th August 2017 20:33

The following is the Science behind it From Psychology Today.

Should You Knit?

By Temma Ehrenfeld

You can take this relaxation tool anywhere. And you get a scarf.
Posted Nov 01, 2013

I keep hearing about busy women taking up knitting. It's meditative and you have a sweater at the end. Think beyond the Martha Stewart stress on perfection. Remember using your hands to mold dough or bread? In world where so much of our work is intangible making things with your palms and fingers gives us a feeling of control and mastery and is way of creating order and beauty.

My guess is that one reason we're all so into our electronic gadgets today is because it's a way of playing with your hands.

But knitting can be much better for you than too much texting or websearching or electronic games. Knitters across the world say it's simply the best therapy, but why? Betsan Corkhill, a British physiotherapist, founded an organization in Bath called Stitchlinks to answer that question and promote knitting as a therapeutic practice.

For those of us who are ill, unemployed or bored for various reasons, staying occupied is clearly good for our health, especially when a hobby is connected to a social circle. Knitting has particular benefits.

The rhythmic repetitive movements seem to put us in the present moment, distracting us from mulling over the past or fear of the future. The relaxation response is known to bring down blood pressure, heart rate and help to prevent stress related illnesses.

Research by Dr. Barry Jacobs of Princeton University has found that repetitive movements in animals enhance the release of serotonin, associated with calm good spirits. And it’s common sense: we rock babies in cradles and sit in rocking chairs because rocking has a powerful calming effect.

The motion of moving your eyes from side to side may also be helpful in itself: as therapists who use Eye Movement Desensitisation and Reprocessing (EMDR) have found working with trauma victims around the world. Moving your eyes from side to side or rolling them around is a powerful yoga technique.

According to Corkhill, some early research has shown that moving your eyes from side to side for 30 seconds every day can boost memory by 10%.

Corkhill sees knitting as a “constructive addiction” that replaces other habits like smoking and binge eating or obsessive checking. One blessing it that you can take your relaxation tool with you and do it in public. And while knitting does not require artistic talent or expensive equipment, it produces objects that people enjoy. Knitters will tell you that just stroking their yarn cheers them up.

In fact, Corkhill reports that many chronically ill, or disabled people who aren’t working or those looking for work can overcome a feeling of aimlessness simply by taking up knitting. Planning a sweater gives them impetus to plan other activities. Knitting also appears to be a pain-reliever. Pain doesn't originate in the spot where you feel it, but actually in your brain, when it interprets signals from other parts of your body. But your brain can't concentrate on two compelling activities at the same time. “Knitting can quite literally take your mind off pain,” Corkhill writes.

Finally, if you can learn to relax while knitting, you can remember again what it feels like not to be tense and recall that feeling in stressful situations.

It won't cost you much and it could do wonders. Why not?

www.psychologytoday.com/blog/open-gently/201311/should-yo...

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#3 [Permalink] Posted on 20th August 2017 20:52

Of course the ultimate reason there is benefit in it is that its Sunnah of Our Beloved (saw)

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In his house, he (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) would be at the service of his family: he would milk his sheep, patch his garment, serve himself and mend his shoes. When the time for prayer came, he would go out and lead the people in prayer, then he would sit with them, talk with them, teach them, exhort them, remind them, listen to their complaints, and reconcile between them. Then he would go back to his house.

‘Aa’ishah (may Allah be pleased with her) was asked: What did the Messenger of Allah (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) do in his house? She said: He was a human being like any other; he would clean his garment, milk his sheep and serve himself.

Narrated by Ahmad, 26194; classed as saheeh by al-Albaani in as-Saheehah, 671

According to another report also narrated by Ahmad (24903): He used to stitch his garment, mend his shoes and work as other men work in their houses.

Courtesy Islam Q/A

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#4 [Permalink] Posted on 17th December 2017 14:14

Pottery as Therapy: A Workshop to Revive Skills
By BARBARA DELATINER DEC. 13, 1998

IF Dr. Janet Gonzalez had her way, she would never get her fingers dirty, even in a pottery class. But she was working on a wall plant holder, and that required her to wet her fingers, then press two slabs of clay together.

Encouraged by her instructor, Cliff Petterson, Dr. Gonzalez persevered. She finally fastened the edges, put the pot aside for the kiln and went on to paint the piece she had made at the previous class, still complaining about ''all that dirt.''

Still, ''it's something to do rather than just sit at home,'' Dr. Gonzalez, 40, admitted haltingly. One of four physically challenged students in this class at the Hands on Clay pottery studio here, Dr. Gonzalez, an internist, was severely injured in a car accident four years ago. On this day, she may have been a reluctant potter, but she was also a satisfied one. ''See, I got it done,'' she proudly told her coach.

When Hands on Clay opened in March, it was touted as the first pottery studio in New York State for physically challenged adults and children. More than a dozen people who are paralyzed or amputees, have spina bifida, cerebral palsy or visual impairments, or are recovering from strokes, heart attacks or trauma regularly attend weekly classes.

Some are clients of the Long Island Head Injury Association and live in its group residences in St. James and Fort Salonga. Others are patients at St. Charles Hospital and Rehabilitation Center. The studio, founded by Randy Blume of Port Jefferson, offers classes and workshops for the public as well.

The notion that working in ceramics could be therapeutic evolved gradually from Ms. Blume's own experiences. She did not start out to be a potter; in fact, when she first tried her hand at pottery during her college days, she ''couldn't get the hang of it,'' she said. ''Working the wheel was just beyond me.''

A fine-arts major at Queens College, she dropped the pottery class. After graduation, she worked as an art and recreational therapist and activities director at nursing homes and centers for the elderly and for handicapped children.

But 21 years ago, when Ms. Blume, now 50, moved to the Island with her family, she returned to pottery, taking an adult education course at the Craft Union at the State University at Stony Brook.

''It was a time of stress for me,'' she recalled. ''And suddenly I found that not only was I able to finally master the wheel, but that I fell in love with it. Focusing on a piece of clay blocked out everything else in my life.''

She began teaching pottery at the Craft Union. About six years ago, a student, Martin H. Mandelbaum, who owns a prosthetics service company in Port Jefferson, asked if she could teach young amputees in her basement studio. The arrangement fit into her theory about working with clay.

''I realized that when you focus just on the clay, you're distracted from your problems, especially if you're in distress,'' she said. ''Best of all, clay is magical. There is no right or wrong. Whatever you produce helps increase a feeling of self worth.''

Using some specially designed and fabricated devices that Mr. Mandelbaum provided, and equipment like wheels modified for use by small children and spina bifida patients, the program quickly caught on, Ms. Blume said. Expanded to serve adults as well, it soon outgrew Ms. Blume's basement. With financial aid from St. Charles and a $5,000 grant from Suffolk County, she built the new Hands on Clay Studio and Gallery, which is completely accessible to wheelchairs.

Like Dr. Gonzalez, the three other students at work that day had suffered traumatic brain injuries. The ceramic work helps all of them in their cognitive rehabilitation, said Dan Fuhrmann, the recreational coordinator for the Head Injury Association. ''It's therapy without them trying, increasing their thought and motor skills,'' he said. ''And it's great for socialization.''

Laura Leach, 28, had completed her third year as a visual arts student at the State University at Purchase when she was injured in a car accident six years ago.

''It left her with severe balance and coordination deficits,'' said her mother, Barbara Leach, who brings her to the studio from their home in Huntington. ''But in the two years she's been working with Randy, I've seen her hand coordination improve significantly. Even her writing skills are better. And her frustration level is better, too. She has more patience and is able to endure situations better.''

Painting the pinch pots she had made the week before, Laura Leach explained: ''I'm an artist at heart. It's so quiet here. I can concentrate, relax.''

The quiet she welcomed was frequently shattered by Chris Brennan, the most outgoing, vociferous member of the quartet. Now 31, Mr. Brennan was a computer programmer when his motorcycle crashed two years ago. He kept his colleagues entertained with a steady, teasing patter, most of which centered on the flower holder he had been making.

''This work helps me get in touch with the inner child in me, helps me get in touch with my creative flow,'' he said. ''I'm talented on the wheel, and I love to paint the pieces.''

Damma Ford, 43, had been a hospital administrator before her car accident. She can't recall how long ago it happened. Looking quizzical when she discovered that the tray she made last week was ''just to put on the wall and look at,'' Ms. Ford turned to putting the finishing touches on a pumpkin pinch pot. ''This I like,'' she said. ''If you ever need a painted pumpkin, let me know.''

Hands on Clay, 128 Old Town Road, East Setauket; 751-0011.

Source New York Times.

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#5 [Permalink] Posted on 18th December 2017 06:38

Bismillah
I remember reading in maariful Quran about a hadith that says the best hobby for women is sewing and for men, it is swimming and spear/arrow throwing. There is no search option for maariful quran available online and hence I couldn't dig the info. Allahu alam.

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Say, "O my people, work according to your position; [for] indeed, I am working. And you are going to know who will have succession in the home. Indeed, the wrongdoers will not succeed." Surah Anaam, Ayat 135

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#6 [Permalink] Posted on 18th December 2017 09:01

Question

I heard a group of people talking a while ago about knitting, or something similar – textile related. They were saying that it was sunna of one of the prophets -as-. Is this true? If so, can you give one or two references to quran and sunna, so I can read for myself. jazakalllah hayr. will be very much appreciated.

Answer

In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.

Assalamualaikum Warahmatullahi Wabarakatuhu

Nabi Idrees Alayhis Salaam was the first person to weave clothing.[1]

Hisham bin Urwah mentions that a person asked Ummul Mu’meneen Sayyiduna Aisha Radiyallahu Anha what were the actions of Nabi Sallalahu Alayhi Wassallam in his house. She said he would sew or mend his clothing and repair his shoes.[2]

We understand from the above that sewing or mending clothes will fall under the Sunnah of the Ambiyaa Alayhis Salaam.

And Allah Ta’ala knows best
Mufti Luqman Hansrot
Fatwa Dept.

[1]
أول من خاط الثياب : إدريس عليه السلام

(الوسائل إلى معرفة الأوائل,دار المكتبة الحياة,ص85)

أول من خاط الثياب ولبسها : إدريس

(الأوائل,دار الكتب العلمية,ص305)

[2] هشام بن عروة عن رجل قال سألت عائشة ما كان رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم يصنع في بيته قالت كان يرقع الثوب ويخصف النعل أو نحو هذا

(مسند الإمام أحمد بن حنبل,دار الحديث,ص121,ج18, 25926)

islamqa.org/hanafi/efiqh/22019

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Actions are judged by intentions, so each man will have what he intended.
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#7 [Permalink] Posted on 18th December 2017 16:25

Baking as a therapy.

How baking helped save my life

The science of baking led Elisabeth Mahoney away from grief and into a new life and successful business

By Miranda Sawyer

There was always bread,” says Elisabeth Mahoney. “When I was young, my mum was a night nurse in Hither Green Hospital, and she would come home in the morning, bake some bread in our teensy kitchen, then sleep while I went to school. She taught me how to make my first soda bread when I was eight.”

Mahoney and I are chatting as she teaches me how to make my first bread: not soda bread, but a nice white loaf, plus a seeded spelt and a plaited challah. Creator and founder of One Mile Bakery, she is whizzing me through her breadmaking course in the space of a few hours. One Mile, which Mahoney started in 2012, has two elements: first, it delivers, by bicycle, homemade bread, soups and preserves to any customer living within a mile of her Cardiff kitchen. (“It’s a bigger radius than I realised,” says Mahoney. “And we live on a big hill: the cycling nearly killed me at first!”) And second, it provides day courses for anyone who wants to bake good bread: whether experienced, or, like me, a complete novice.

One Mile Bakery is a success – it has been a runner-up three times in the OFM Awards best independent retailer category – but it’s one born of adversity. Mahoney started the project almost as an act of desperation. “I hit so many rock bottoms,” she says. “But if you’re really at your lowest ebb – and trust me, I was at my lowest ebb for so long – then, if you’re lucky, you find a new way. And mine was through doing what I knew already. It was through bread.”

As Mahoney and I measure and knead and shape and set aside, we talk. In 2008, she found her life was slipping out of kilter. Her beloved mother, Betty, had a stroke so big that she was read the last rites at hospital. Suddenly, the slow decline of her old age was fast-forwarded. Betty went into a home. “She couldn’t speak, she couldn’t write, she couldn’t stand up on her own,” says Mahoney. “She had to be fed through a tube. Everything about her – her voice, her love of food, her cooking – everything just went out of the window.”

Mahoney and her mother were close. The youngest child of five, born to Irish immigrant parents, Mahoney came as a surprise when Betty was 46 (“She thought I was the menopause”). She grew up happily, in Catford, south London. But her dad died when he was just 55, leaving her mum to bring up Mahoney, then 10, on her own. The other children had left home, and in the months after his death, mother and daughter bonded through cooking. They bought a magazine called Supercook every week and worked their way through the recipes; harder than you think, given they had to source exotic ingredients, such as garlic or fresh herbs, from Lewisham market, and Betty didn’t drive. “It was a big adventure, every Saturday,” says Mahoney. “We did it for years.” Betty taught Mahoney her own recipes, too: she rarely wrote anything down. (“I once asked her how she made apple crumble,” says Mahoney. “She said, ‘You get apples. And you get crumble. That’s all.’”)

All that knowledge, all that history … Family is often cited as the basis for small food projects – wanting to provide for young kids, keeping things natural, working from home – yet Mahoney felt as though her family was diminishing, not increasing. Not only was she coping with her mother’s decline, but another story was developing, and not as she had hoped. Mahoney and her husband wanted children. And she kept getting pregnant – “I was really good at it” – but then kept losing the babies – “I was even better at that.” The first time she miscarried was on Mother’s Day, when she’d spent the day with her mum. Mahoney miscarried in early pregnancy; she miscarried later in pregnancy. She miscarried just before her 40th birthday: she’d organised a big party and had to cancel it. Each time was a death, she says: “Because you have a thing that exists and you see that little heartbeat picture … and then it’s like it never happened.” Many of her friends didn’t know what to say after a while. “Better luck next time!” doesn’t work after the first two or three. In total, over a period of around six years, she miscarried eight times. She cries, a little, as she tells me.

When Mahoney was 43, she and her husband decided enough was enough. No more pregnancies. And for a while, she felt marooned, caring for her mum, knowing the dream of being a parent was over: “I had nobody below me, nobody above me. I just felt completely lost.”

But gradually, an idea began to take hold. “I was taught, by my mum, that homemade bread was a total staple,” says Mahoney. “Not tricky, or fancy, but just something you always had on the table. And I just adore bread: my favourite thing in the world is tea and toast, or cheese and bread, or soup and bread … It’s one of the core food staples in my life. Desert island food, basically.”

She decided to leave her job as a journalist and to make bread and deliver it, with a few bread accessories: soup, jam. She wanted to keep everything small, in order to keep it affordable, but also because it reminded her of her mum. When Mahoney was 46 – the same age as Betty when she had her – she launched One Mile Bakery. It was an instant success; the demand almost overwhelming, she remembers. Within a couple of months, she needed help and recruited someone who had been on her one-day baking course (a cyclist: much quicker than her at deliveries.)

But then, in February 2013, Betty died. “I was in the middle of making 38 loaves,” says Mahoney. “And I just sat there, and cried, and cried. I stopped. But the dough had other ideas and carried on rising, and even in the depths of that moment, when I could barely process what had happened, I thought: bread, you devil, you just keep going.”

Mahoney couldn’t bake for six weeks; she handed over to her new recruit. But then, the grief lifted, a little, and she went into the kitchen at 4.30am and made a loaf: “A simple seeded spelt tin loaf.” It was the loaf she’d made for her mum the last time she’d come to stay. Mahoney carried on making that loaf every two days for a year. “It’s still my favourite,” she says. “It got me through so much.”

Breadmaking is a strange voodoo. As a beginner, I’m amazed by its combination of science and magic. The precision of quantities (Mahoney has me weigh the water I use, as she finds weighing more exact), the accuracy of time (we set an alarm for kneading). The magic is, of course, the dough. The kneading is mesmeric: a sort of smooth stretching, like using the heel of your hand to iron out the creases in a crumpled piece of paper. And to see four simple ingredients – just flour, water, salt and yeast for the white loaf – mesh into a living mass that changes shape and grows of its own accord, well, experienced bread-makers may laugh, but it seems like witchcraft to me.

Mahoney agrees. She sees it in her classes. “I’ve taught people going through career challenges, toxic divorces, being new to the city, dealing with sleep deprivation because of toddlers, caring for parents,” she says. “I had a soldier with PTSD come in who was unable to be in a group. He sat with me to the side, and helped chop stuff and he just blossomed. People come with all sorts weighing them down, we all chat around the kitchen table and somehow, the kneading takes everyone’s minds off what they’ve left behind, and then the magic of what happens in such simple steps takes them out of their day-to-day.”

In the years since One Mile Bakery started, Mahoney’s mother-in-law died, then her father-in-law, then her niece. (“With bereavement,” she says, “you don’t understand until you get there. Once you’re there, you have a vocabulary, a way of thinking about it.”) Through it all, she kept teaching, baking, delivering. Now, 1,900 people have been through her courses; some have set up One Mile Bakeries themselves.

It’s the end of our afternoon: and I appear to have created three lovely loaves. I’m more excited than I imagined I would be. Mahoney isn’t surprised.

“Bread is exciting because it’s unpredictable,” she says. “It’s affected by weather, humidity, especially sourdough. You could say it’s affected by mood. It’s always an adventure, so if you need to take your mind off something, it is like magic. You have to totally focus on it, you make it by hand and forget everything else, and then you wait to see if it worked. These are all really good life skills. And then you get toast.”

www.theguardian.com/profile/mirandasawyer

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#8 [Permalink] Posted on 18th December 2017 18:23

Feeling Down? Scientists Say Cooking and Baking Could Help You Feel Better
A little creativity each day goes a long way

By Danny Lewis

Cooking or baking has become a common cure for stress or feeling down, but there might actually be some science to why small creative tasks might make people feel better. According to a new study, a little creativity each day can go a long way towards happiness and satisfaction in the bustle of daily life.

The study, published in the Journal of Positive Psychology, suggests that people who frequently take a turn at small, creative projects report feeling more relaxed and happier in their everyday lives. The researchers followed 658 people for about two weeks, and found that doing small, everyday things like cooking and baking made the group feel more enthusiastic about their pursuits the next day, Daisy Meager reports for Munchies.

“There is growing recognition in psychology research that creativity is associated with emotional functioning,” Tamlin Conner, a psychologist with the University of Otago in New Zealand and lead author on the study tells Tom Ough for The Telegraph. “However, most of this work focuses on how emotions benefit or hamper creativity, not whether creativity benefits or hampers emotional well-being.”

By following detailed diaries kept by the study subjects, Connor found that in addition to feeling happier, people who worked on little creative projects every day also felt they were “flourishing”—a psychological term that describes the feeling of personal growth. That could mean that the good feeling that comes with pulling a freshly-baked loaf of bread out of the oven could carry over into the next day, making that baker more likely to keep on with their little acts of creative cooking, Ough writes.

This isn’t the first time researchers have drawn a line connecting making food with positive feelings. In recent years, psychologists have started spending more time exploring cooking and baking as a therapeutic tool to help people dealing with things like depression and anxiety, Meager reports.

“When I’m in the kitchen, measuring the amount of sugar, flour or butter I need for a recipe or cracking the exact number of eggs—I am in control,” baker John Whaite, who won “The Great British Bake Off” in 2012, told Farhana Dawood for the BBC. “That’s really important as a key element of my condition is a feeling of no control.”

For people like Whaite, who was diagnosed with manic depression in 2005, baking can help their mood by providing small tasks to focus on in a manner similar to meditation. In order to put together a good meal, cooks have to be constantly in the moment, adding ingredients, adjusting the heat of the stove and tasting their food to make sure everything will come out alright—all of which can be helpful techniques in treating some forms of mental illness, wrote Huma Qureshi for The Guardian in 2013.

“A lot of us turn to baking when we’re feeling low,” Melanie Denyer, the founder of the Depressed Cake Shop, a bakery designed to draw awareness to mental health conditions, tells Dawood. “Some of us even started baking because they were ill and needed something simple as a focus. And there is genuinely something very therapeutic about baking.”

Baking may not be a be-all-end-all cure for mental illness, but anyone in need of lifted spirits should consider pulling out the flour and warming up the oven.

www.smithsonianmag.com/

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#9 [Permalink] Posted on 25th December 2017 16:46

In China several medical research studies have been done on the therapeutic effects of learning traditional chinese calligraphy on patients some even suffering from terminal illnesses.

So if that is the effect of Chinese Calligraphy imagine the effects of Islamic Calligraphy...!If you cant find any Islamic Calligraphy classes, Calligraphy in any language is therapeautic and great exercise for the mind.

Move over, adult coloring books –calligraphy is the new relaxing hobby
It also makes the message more personalized and impactful, say in-demand scribes and hobbyists
By: Marge C. Enriquez

As a young boy, graphic designer and app developer Patrick Cabral would watch his uncle inscribe names in classic lettering on diplomas. Although the uncle learned calligraphy in drafting class at a vocational school, he took it to the level of art with his soulful style. Cabral then studied it from a neighbor, who also knew the craft.

With his skill, the young Cabral earned some money from making signs and streamers. When he became a professional graphic designer, the volume of work put him on a different track. But in 2012, Cabral returned to calligraphy, when he started writing names on his wedding invitations.

In the digital age, when sending messages and invitations through e-mail, social media and SMS has become the norm, calligraphy, or the art of decorative handwriting, is experiencing a resurgence. “We want to feel human again,” said Cabral.

Print collateral

Legions of hobbyists around the world are enjoying calligraphy, the way adults have taken to their coloring books. Moreover, calligraphers are in demand for writing invitations, cards, letters, logos, poems, name cards and other print collateral.

Calligraphy has been around since the Chinese wrote with a brush in the second millennium before Christ. In the West, the Romans developed the Latin alphabet in the first century.

Today’s calligraphy ranges from practical writing to artistic pieces where letters are indistinguishable. The most popular lettering styles are the italic scripts, copperplate or the round hand script, Old

English, and the bookhand or streamlined lettering.

The success of calligraphy depends on the delicate combination of nib, ink and paper. The thickness and angle of the nib work better with specific kinds of paper, more than others. Not every ink performs well with

every nib. The patience required and the introspective quality of calligraphy itself have made it a form of relaxation.

One weekend at The Gallery in Greenbelt 5, the young and not-so-young crowded around tables, urging calligraphers to write their names in fancy lettering. Some scribes dipped their brush in ink for a playful script that splashed across the paper, while others used pens with a square nib for historic fonts.

The first calligraphy fair, organized by Invitation House, a digital printer and retailer of writing supplies, drew a huge crowd.

“There’s a market for this,” said Carolina Marquez, owner of Invitation House and organizer of the fair. “Some hobbyists have even turned it into a little business. The popularity of calligraphy emerged early this year. People have been asking me to organize workshops, and I’ve been inviting calligraphers to teach enthusiasts.”

Her two daughters, Beatrice, 20, and Alexandra, 18, got hooked on calligraphy, and use the brush pen for exquisite scripts.

The calligraphy fair also gave exposure to Prestige paper products and Zig, a Japanese brand of writing tools. Scribes were invited to give lectures and demonstrate how to use the various pens, brushes and nibs.

Draftsman and artist

Calligraphy requires the dexterity and skill of a draftsman and the soul of an artist. To Cabral, who was a guest speaker at the fair, calligraphy is a balance of function—such as writing for a card company and branding for a design firm—and self-expression in artsy exhibits. He specializes in ornate lettering that become eye-catching abstract designs.

One board featured unreadable letters that looked like unusual patterns from afar. On closer look, they were profanities that made people laugh. It was Cabral’s statement on how meaningless or mediocre art had become overvalued.

Professional makeup artist/scribe Sharon Condes-Rodil always had the knack for beautiful script. Two years ago, she attended a workshop with Fozzy Castro-Dayrit, a sought-after calligrapher for celebrity weddings.

Rodil started doing calligraphy for herself and friends. With the limited choice of pens and nibs and their storage, she started out a small business called Swirls and Strokes that supplies the calligraphy community. She noted that many calligraphy enthusiasts consist of millennials. “They call me ‘Mother,’” said the 43-year-old scribe.

She favors vintage nibs from the United States and Italy, sourced on eBay. They are usually sold in estate sales, and the prices range from $20 to hundreds of dollars for a box. These nibs are not only sturdier but lend a feeling of history. The oldest piece in her collection came from Esterbrook, once America’s largest maker of pens.

On calligraphic rates, writing names on envelopes cost P25 to P30 apiece, and P45 with an address. A short text fetches P60. Most of the time, the text is replicated on a high-resolution printer to save on expense. Commissioning big names such as Dayrit will cost more.

Rodil said calligraphy has caught on because it makes the message more personalized and impactful.

As poet Ralph Waldo Emerson said, “Never lose an opportunity to see anything beautiful, for beauty is God’s handwriting.”

“Type Kita,” an exhibit of lettering, accessories and personalities is ongoing this weekend from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. at 1161 Chino Roces, the former Bosch building in Makati.

Read more: lifestyle.inquirer.net/216019/move-over-adult-coloring-bo...

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#10 [Permalink] Posted on 1st January 2020 19:52

PSYCHOLOGIST ENCOURAGES MINDFULNESS THROUGH FLOWER THERAPY

JUNE 7, 2018 CHOC CHILDREN'S

Long before Dr. Carlos Konishi was a seasoned pediatric psychologist at CHOC Children’s, he understood firsthand the healing effects of flower therapy.

As a psychology intern at CHOC more than a decade ago, he would create flower arrangements for the psychology department in his spare time, and quickly noticed the positive impact it had on the wellness of patients and his colleagues.

Dr. Carlos Konishi, pediatric psychologist at CHOC Children’s
Inspired largely by his Japanese heritage, known for its deep appreciation of nature, Dr. Konishi had always enjoyed working with flowers and plants as a pastime, and even used it as a therapy technique with patients in another facility.

As part of his dissertation, Dr. Konishi studied the possible impact of nature settings on people’s physical and emotional health.

“Our appreciation for nature is cross-cultural. At a very basic level, we are drawn to nature and how it makes us feel,” Dr. Konishi explains. “Think of a favorite vacation spot for instance; you often think of a place tied to nature. There’s something about nature that makes us feel reconnected and refreshed.”

In 2016, Dr. Konishi returned to CHOC to work as a full-time psychologist, and he continues to use the art of flower arranging today to encourage mindfulness and wellness among his colleagues. Every Monday, he sets up a flower therapy station in his department’s break room, including a variety of fresh flowers and colorful vases, which his fellow colleagues and students can use to create arrangements for their individual offices and therapy rooms where patients are seen.

The physical act of arranging the flowers and concentrating on the soothing task stimulates mindfulness, Dr. Konishi explains. Like with other mindfulness activities, the task allows you to focus on the present moment and acknowledge your feelings, thoughts and sensations.

One of the many flower arrangements found throughout the hallways in the psychology department at CHOC.
He also enjoys creating flower arrangements for the hallways in the office like he once did as a student. He and his team often hear from patients and their families who comment on these beautiful touches of nature and how uplifting it makes them feel when they come in for an appointment.

“It’s part of your emotional health. When you see things that are aesthetically pleasing, you feel good,” Dr. Konishi says. “Flowers are a representation of the beauty of nature.”

Dr. Konishi’s commitment to his mental and emotional health and that of his colleagues does not stop with flower therapy, however. He and a few colleagues have formed a wellness committee in their department. Throughout the year, they organize activities such as Smoothie Day, pet therapy, yoga and flower arranging with the goal to help staff reset and be more present for their patients’ care. The committee has also organized Tea for the Soul through CHOC Spiritual Care as well as Healing Touch therapy and Reiki sessions for the department staff.

“Wellness and mindfulness programs can be beneficial for everyone and can play a very important role in decreasing burnout and increasing engagement,” Dr. Konishi says. “I strongly recommend creating a small team of individuals who share an interest in wellness to ensure sustainability and allow for a variety of activities. These activities don’t have to be very long and can provide a reprieve from the daily stressors people face and can help them recharge and refocus throughout the week.”

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#11 [Permalink] Posted on 3rd January 2020 23:01

Flower art blooms among Japan's stressed out men

Anna Yokoyama

TOKYO (Reuters) - Japan's traditional, female-dominated art of flower arranging is returning to its masculine roots, for an entirely modern reason: it's become a way for male employees to prune away their stress.

Ikebana, or "the way of flowers," dates back more than 500 years and first blossomed among male artisans and aristocrats.

Aimed at creating harmony between man and nature as well as heightening the appreciation of the rhythms of the universe, arrangements are conducted in silence using only organic elements put together in a minimalist style.

And it's this creativity and spirituality that has attracted thousands of Japanese men to reclaim the art form that has more recently been associated with women.

"Nowadays there are a lot of people seeking something that makes them feel at ease," said Gaho Isono, a master ikebana instructor at Sogetsu, founded in 1927 and one of the first schools to offer flower arranging courses to men.

"There are many hobbies people can do now and there's no longer the preconception that men cannot arrange flowers. They are free to choose whatever they like and the number of men choosing flowers is actually increasing."

Japanese society has traditionally put much emphasis on hard work and employees regularly put in long hours in the office, which increases the risk of depression, mental health organisations say.

The nation, which has one of the highest suicide rates in the world, even has a term for death by overwork -- karoshi -- making stress-relieving activities such as ikebana all the more popular.

Flower compositions arranged according to the traditional principles of ikebana are said to represent the relationship between heaven, mankind and earth.

There are an estimated 3,000 ikebana schools across Japan with some 15 million enthusiasts, most of whom see flower arrangement as an antidote to their hectic lives.

"Each time when the class starts at first I feel tired from work," said male student Koji Takahashi, 45.

"But once I begin concentrating on how to combine the flowers and the vase, and I actually move my hands to create the composition, it's a change of pace."

Some men have spent years mastering the art form and now teach new students the therapeutic effects of ikebana.

Minoru Kagata, 61, an instructor at Sogetsu school who took up ikebana almost 20 years ago, said the art "gives life to flowers." It usually takes students more than two years to create beautiful arrangements with few natural elements, he added.

For many male students, stepping into the ikebana studio is rewarding enough, regardless of how skilful they are
Flower arrangement adds that unreal flavour to my life and lets my mind roam free," said Koji Otusbo, who has been studying ikebana for more than 15 years.

"At the same time, such an artistic hobby is like a bridge that connects me to the real world."

uk.reuters.com/article/oukoe-uk-japan-flowers-life/flower...

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