This is the fifth post in the Grey Thinking series, Five of the most underrated coping skills.
I’m not sure that “crafting” really encompasses the coping skill that I want to mention, but it’s the best term that I could come up with. When I say “crafting,” I mean any of the following:
- coloring
- making collages
- sudoku /crossword puzzles
- word searches
- computer solitaire
- kitting
- drawing / painting
- origami
…see my point? Semi-creative (and low-stress) activities that keep your hands busy. I don’t know what it is about keeping my hands busy, but it really helps with the anxiety.
Personally, I prefer coloring & sudoku… mainly because they don’t really require any thought. I can stress out about drawing because I don’t know where to start or I am worried about screwing it up. With coloring… it’s way harder to screw up and limited decisions have to be made. I know people who really get a lot more out of art than just being distracted and it can really be therapeutic for them. I have days like that, but usually I’m just looking for a good, basically mindless activity.
Grey Thinking 