How crafts can help reduce stress

When your mind gets a break from overthinking

When we're feeling stressed, it's easy for our thoughts to race in every direction.

We think about the next meeting. Everything we didn't get done today. The shopping list. That message we still haven't replied to.

But when you sew, knit or crochet, something changes.

Your hands have one simple job. The next stitch. The next seam. The next row. You don't have to think about everything at once. You simply move on to the next step.

That doesn't mean your worries disappear. But they begin to fade into the background because your attention has something else to focus on.

Your senses keep you in the present moment

When you work with your hands, several senses are engaged at the same time. You can feel the fabric between your fingers. You hear the steady rhythm of the sewing machine. You watch a knitted jumper gradually take shape.

That helps your brain stay focused on what you're doing. And that makes it easier to stay present in the moment.

When your attention stays with the same task, it's easier to become completely absorbed in it.

Before you know it, an hour has passed. Not because you've been rushing. But because you were fully immersed in what you were doing.

So why does that happen?

Why the right level of challenge helps you focus

Psychological research shows that we thrive when a task is neither too easy nor too difficult. If it's too simple, we quickly lose interest. If it's too challenging, we become frustrated.

But when the challenge matches our skills, it's much easier to become absorbed in what we're doing. One stitch naturally leads to the next. Then another row. Or the next brushstroke.

It's not just about crafts

This doesn't only apply to sewing, knitting and crochet. Many people experience the same feeling while gardening, working with clay, carving wood or cooking from scratch.

What these activities have in common is that your hands stay busy, your senses are engaged, and there's always a natural next step.

In psychology, this state is often called flow. It's the feeling of becoming so absorbed in an activity that time seems to pass differently and your full attention stays on what you're doing.

How creative projects can help with stress

Creative activities can't remove the causes of stress. But they can give your mind a break from racing thoughts and constant worries.

When your attention settles on one task, both your body and mind have a chance to slow down. For many people, it feels like a welcome pause from everyday life, where their thoughts might otherwise keep going round in circles.

That's why researchers are increasingly exploring how creative activities can support mental wellbeing and complement other approaches to managing stress.

What the research shows

Interest in the impact of creative activities on mental wellbeing has grown significantly in recent years.

In 2025, an international team of researchers reviewed findings from 19 scientific studies on creative activities and mental health. Overall, the evidence suggests that activities such as sewing, knitting, crochet and other crafts may have a positive effect on stress, anxiety, depression and overall wellbeing.

This phenomenon has a name: Craft Psychology

What you've just read about actually has a name. It's called Craft Psychology, a field of research that explores how creative activities using our hands can influence our wellbeing, concentration and mental health.

Danish psychologist Anne Kirketerp Linstad has helped develop this field of research and is now recognised as one of its leading researchers. Together with colleagues from several countries, she has contributed to a growing understanding of why creative activities can make a positive difference to our mental wellbeing.

Research suggests that handcrafts can help to:

• focus your attention on one task at a time.
• make it easier to experience flow.
• strengthen your sense of achievement and progress.
• engage your senses and create a sense of presence.
• give your mind a break from the demands of everyday life.

At the same time, researchers emphasise that more studies are still needed. Creative activities should not be seen as a treatment in their own right, but the findings suggest they can be a valuable complement to other forms of support for people experiencing stress.

If you'd like to explore Craft Psychology, flow and the research behind them in more depth, you can read our article on Craft Psychology.

A little breathing space in everyday life

We can't always remove the things that cause us stress. But we can give our minds small moments of rest along the way.

For some, it's a walk. For others, it's time in the garden, the kitchen or a creative project with a sewing machine, knitting needles or a crochet hook.

What matters most isn't what you choose to do. It's finding an activity that keeps your hands busy, helps your attention settle, and gives your thoughts a little less room to take over.

Perhaps that's why so many people return to their favourite creative hobby again and again. Not just to make something beautiful, but for the sense of calm they find along the way.

Sources and further reading

• Bukhave, E. B., Creek, J., Kirketerp Linstad, A. & Frandsen, T. F. (2025). The Effects of Crafts-Based Interventions on Mental Health and Well-Being: A Systematic Review. Australian Occupational Therapy Journal.
• Csikszentmihalyi, M. (1990). Flow: The Psychology of Optimal Experience. Harper & Row.
• Kirketerp, A. (2024). Craft-psykologi, Sundhedsfremmende effekter ved håndarbejde og håndværk. 2nd edition, Forlaget Mailand.
• Bukhave, E. B. & Kirketerp, A. (eds.) (2023). Sundhed og trivsel gennem craft-aktiviteter, en grundbog til praksis. Forlaget GAD.
• Read more about Craft Psychology at Selfmade®