We’ve all been there before: a difficult project gets frustrating, life gets in the way, or brain bats move in and set up shop. Whatever the reason, it can feel crushing when your go-to self care no longer helps.
As some of you know, I’m planning a book for later this year. I’m self-publishing, so deadlines are self-imposed, but with life taking some turns at high speeds, I’m already falling behind. I suffered a mysterious wrist injury which limits my knitting and crochet time, which in turn means I’m not where I wanted to be.
It turns into a cycle:I feel guilty that I’m not completing projects fast enough –> I want to avoid working on the projects to try and avoid the guilt –> the projects take longer to complete as a result.
Logically I know that this cycle is unsustainable, but emotionally I’ve got my fingers in my ears, yelling, “LA LA LA, I CAN’T HEEEAAAAR YOOOOUUU!”
I know not every crafter has a book planned, or dye yarns to sell, or shows to prepare for, or a million other things to think about, but we all have these feelings sometimes. Sometimes it’s a frustrating pattern, sometimes it’s the unending exhaustion that comes with a busy family, and sometimes it’s depression or anxiety. Sometimes it’s all of those things at once!
How to fix it
This week I’m moderating over on the @CraftAsTherapy feed, with the theme of kindness. I don’t just mean kindness to others, I mean to yourselves too! After all, we’ll run out of steam if we are kind to others but never spend time to recharge and be kind to yourself. If crafting isn’t feeling therapeutic, do something else, even if you have a deadline. Take a night off, allow yourself to watch the new season of Grace and Frankie or play video games and eat junk food.
I know it’s hard – I find it incredibly difficult to not be working on something. If I’m sitting, I’m knitting – or crocheting – or planning projects – or packing up orders, or ordering new undyed stock, or researching new ideas and plans, or a million other things. I know I’m not unique there – so many of us are the same. I challenge you this week to take at least one hour just for yourself. Do something that makes you happy, whether it’s the aforementioned hedonism, planting new seedlings, reading a book, or laying in the dark listening to a symphony. Just 60 minutes: that’s not even 1% of your week. Don’t you deserve some time for recharging (yes you do)?
If you want to know what I’ll be doing to recharge and give myself some self-care therapy this week, I’ll be digging into a new book and sitting on a park bench with a big bag of jellybeans. After all, self-care definitely allows for junk food multi-tasking. emoji unicode: 1f609
If you want to hang out with me on Instagram this week, head on over to the @Craftastherapy account and post your pics with #craftastherapy_kindness, and they might just get featured!
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