Tag: crafts and mental health

The Picture of Happiness – Wrapping Gifts

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It’s The Picture of Happiness Month!

Today’s guest is Dr. Linda Baker, she says:

I am a full-time clinical psychologist and a part-time jewelry shop owner/refurbisher/photographer at Chainsaw & Co.  I get very excited by the concept and act of gift-giving, which likely explains my insistence on uniquely hand-wrapping each item that is sold.  As I’m wrapping, I imagine the receiver opening their gift and this makes me feel delightfully well-nourished.

Gift-Giving + Hand-Wrapping = Happiness for Dr. Linda Baker

Gift-Giving + Hand-Wrapping = Happiness for Dr. Linda Baker

Linda Baker, PsyD is the owner of Unstuck Therapy, a private psychotherapy and assessment practice in the Capitol Hill neighborhood of Denver. Unstuck Therapy has been featured on ManTherapy.org and AllTreatment.com highlighting specialty areas including men’s issues, secondary trauma, adolescent mental health, and depression. These days, Linda enjoys prose, pop culture, fashion, and humans of all varieties.

Linda Baker, PsyD is the owner of Unstuck Therapy, a private psychotherapy and assessment practice in the Capitol Hill neighborhood of Denver. Unstuck Therapy has been featured on ManTherapy.org and AllTreatment.com highlighting specialty areas including men’s issues, secondary trauma, adolescent mental health, and depression. These days, Linda enjoys prose, pop culture, fashion, and humans of all varieties.

The Picture of Happiness – Knitting

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It’s  The Picture of Happiness Month!

Today’s guest is Caroline Moore, she says:

Knitting makes me happy.  I love going to the yarn store and picking out something beautiful from all the gorgeous varieties of wool, synthetics, cotton, alpaca, and bamboo.  I enjoy the feel of it in my fingers and the warmth it creates.  From picking out a pattern to casting on the first stitches to giving a loved one (or myself) a finished product, I love the whole process.  I enjoy solitary knitting or with dear friends in my “craft group” which I have been doing for the last 20 plus years.  Knitting keeps my hands busy and my head clear.

Knitting makes me happy. I love going to the yarn store and picking out something beautiful from all the gorgeous varieties of wool, synthetics, cotton, alpaca, and bamboo. I enjoy the feel of it in my fingers and the warmth it creates. From picking out a pattern to casting on the first stitches to giving a loved one (or myself) a finished product, I love the whole process. I enjoy solitary knitting or with dear friends in my "craft group" which I have been doing for the last 20 plus years. Knitting keeps my hands busy and my head clear. I am a wife, mother, and grandmother. I am a retired occupational therapist who is loving this new stage in my life with the gift of time and health to pursue new interests and old. Travel, volunteering, exercise, grandchildren and family, reading and crafts fill my days.


Caroline is a wife, mother, and grandmother. She is a retired occupational therapist who is loving this new stage in her life with the gift of time and health to pursue interests, new and old. Travel, volunteering, exercise, grandchildren and family, reading and crafts fill her days.

I am a wife, mother, and grandmother.  I am a retired occupational therapist who is loving this new stage in my life with the gift of time and health to pursue new interests and old.  Travel, volunteering, exercise, grandchildren and family, reading and crafts fill my days.

CREATE Mental Health Week begins!

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Welcome to CREATE Mental Health Week! I am so excited to be starting the blog party this week – it has been a long time in coming!  This week I will be featuring guest bloggers from all over the country who are going to be writing about how creating helps them maintain their mental health.  They will also be sharing secrets of their craft with us.  I am so excited to learn and create along with these awesome ladies!  Check back often as there will be lots of ideas shared this week!

Want to promote CREATE Mental Health Week?  Grab the button on the right side of page.

The first guest post will go up in a couple of hours, so come back soon!

Want to read more about how creativity and mental health go together?  Read my posts:

Craft Time and Mental Health

Stress Management: The Importance of Hobbies

Craft Time: Good for Our Mental Health

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Whether it’s at preschool, elementary school, home, girl scouts, or even in the psychologist’s office – I have found that almost all kids love crafts. Even tough 12-year-old boys can usually be talked into making a collage out of sports magazines or decorating a poster for their rooms.

But sometimes I wonder what kids really get out of arts and crafts. Is it really worth it to lug out all those craft supplies and then (ugh) put them all back? And what about the psychological effects of crafting – is it something I should be including in my professional work? And what about for us adults? Should one of our New Year’s resolutions be to spend more time at the easel (or sewing machine, or potter’s wheel, or table saw)?

Below are some thoughts about the benefits of participating in arts and crafts…and I hope to hear your thoughts on some I am sure I have missed.

It’s creative. Ok, so this is a no-brainer. But I think it is important to remember that kids (and adults too) don’t have much time to be fully creative in their everyday lives. Math problems, gym class, homework assignments, chores at home – most of these things need to be done in a certain way. But art is something different. When presented in an open-ended way, kids are free to do/create/design whatever they please.

It’s messy. An important part of learning and development includes experiencing different sensations in a tactile way. Squishy, sticky, pokey, fuzzy. Craft supplies can provide kids with opportunities to feel all these sensations. In addition, arts and crafts time allows us to get some paint on our hands and glue under our nails. Most kids enjoy creating a mess – and teaching them to help clean up afterwords is an important benefit too.

It’s not about perfection. I am an anti-perfectionist. And I encourage others around me to forego perfectionism as well. Kids and adults who hold themselves to such high standards often struggle to enjoy life, try new things, and be tolerant of others. Crafts can be a wonderful way to help kids get used to the idea of enjoying the creative process, instead of getting hung up on a perfect end result.

It’s a good way to get talking. If you’ve ever been part of a quilting bee, a sewing circle, or any kind of craft group you know that the main purpose of the group is often not the craft, but the conversations that happen in between. When our hands and eyes are busy creating, it often makes it easier for us to talk about tough things. Having trouble getting your tween to open up? Teenager not talking like she used to? Try doing a craft together and see what happens.

Need some ideas about where to start in the crafting world? Check out Family Fun Magazine, take a class at Michael’s; or for older kids and grown-ups check out Made (one of my favorite blogs), or V and Co.