Unless you are amongst the really lucky few, life tends to take over your entire being, or at least it did, till the pandemic hit. Most of us were juggling multiple things each day, multitasking, fighting and dousing fires along the way, almost being driven to a robotic state of existence. Then Covid-19 hit, and pulled the veritable rug from beneath our feet. It taught us that life is transient and fickle. It forced us to pause, to look around, to listen, to appreciate. It made us realise how each of us in our race to ‘get there’ or ‘get that’ were driving ourselves into a hole, unsuspecting of the repercussions on our mental health and overall being.
So how many of you have realized in the last few years that life can be simple? Look at the whole new tribe of explorers, of first timers who have stepped out of their comfort zones to follow their passions, age nothwithstanding. “The one thing that has fuelled each of them is the realization that when they started becoming mindful about their surroundings, about what they were chasing after, they realized this was not it, or at least this was not enough. As people began to pay more and more attention to their surroundings, their health, their emotions, their passions and what gave them joy they started becoming mindful,” says Parveen Kumarr Sahni, President – Sewing Machines, Usha International.
Mindfulness is acknowledged for the benefits it offers. Many scientists are recognizing its role in mitigating stress and overall happiness. In fact, mindfulness has been accepted by mainstream medicine given that statistical data proves that practicing mindfulness can improve both physical and psychological symptoms inducing positive changes in health, attitudes, and behaviors.
The biggest advantage is that being mindful can become a habit when cultivated right. “I have a friend who swears that doing pottery centers her and de-stresses her and when she’s actually on the wheel, it’s just her and the clay, the wheel and everything fades into insignificance. As for me, I can say the same for sewing. Sewing is my passion – it is what I can lose myself in, it gives me creative satisfaction, a personal sense of achievement, and the the joy of transforming a piece of cloth into something so beautiful,” adds Sahni.
There is no end to the advantages of mindfulness. Did you know that mindfulness actually enhances your capacity to deal with and overcome adverse events?
This mindfulness day, focus on hobbies, that help release endorphins and make you happy and healthy.
One of the most soothing and therapeutic is sewing. Here are some benefits of this practice.
Sewing actually kind of demands that you be fully present and this being in the present leads to honing your focus and skills, making you shed the stress and lower your cortisol levels, all of which is great for your health. “Time to pull out that sewing machine which will eventually calm you, excite you, coax your creativity to flow, and just makes you happy,” opines Sahni.
Activities like sewing or knitting bring joy, have the potential to release the feel good hormones, triggers the brain, and makes you feel good. Trust me sewing, knitting, crafting are among the easiest ways for you to trigger those feel happy hormones.
Sewing is a stress-buster and one doesn’t need hours and hours, one can be done feeling so much better in just a few minutes, and as you get better and begin to challenge your own self, then of course the sky is the limit. So go on then set your own pace, set your own goals, and become one with the process and see yourself become more mindful.
