Crochet and blood pressure.....!

[boo1]

I'm a 7th grade teacher. I'm pretty stressed during the day and my bp usually is running around 130/90. I had a doctor's appointment yesterday after school. While I was in the waiting room, I was crocheting. By the time I was called back, my bp was 102/70!

 

Why don't doctors prescribe crochet and knitting for people with blood pressure issues? Much healthier than meds!

 

TGIW!

[athena]

hahha...but then...when we have to frog our work when we realized we missed too many stitches ...i think our blood pressure will go right off the roof!! :

[Titus2woman]

This is a great testimony! Crochet away~all day! LOL! (((((HUGS))))) sandi

[mrsvz]

good to know. I'm pregnant and my bp has been high. I'm going to tell my husband and two kids that I 'm going to stop working and put myself on crochet-rest.

[Blondie]

Now I can tell hubby I crocheted all day for health reasons He'll just love that.

 

When I crochet the world just seems to stop and I get lost in this very peaceful place where only I exist.

[niqita]

Hey that is a good one:) Maybe I should tell my boss I have to crochet at work the whole time to keep my b/p down. It is relaxing until like you said you have to frog it or you get this huge knot in the middle of a skein of yarn

[HappyBunny]

Now I can tell hubby I crocheted all day for health reasons He'll just love that.

 

When I crochet the world just seems to stop and I get lost in this very peaceful place where only I exist.

 

 

Blondie, I'm going to tell my husband that too!

 

I am a type A personality and tend to be pretty high strung. I have found that crochet has really calmed me down and probably has made me a nicer person to be around!

 

 

Kim

[Real Deal]

I find crochet really IS relaxing. I would consider crochet to be relaxation therapy.

 

I used my crochet as physical therapy once also. I had a cat bite on a finger (the cat didn't mean it ~ she was having a seizure) and almost lost my finger because of it. After a long haul through numerous antibiotics, having chunks of my finger removed and all sorts of horrible stuff, my finger was saved and the flesh regrew pretty normally eventually. My doctor wanted to send me to physical therapy, and I said I would rather crochet.

 

So I told the doctor I was going to make a shawl, and when it's finished my finger would be working fine. She agreed to let me try this. I had no feeling in this finger and I could barely grip the hook, but I started the shawl. I worked at it slowly, and suddenly one day I felt cold in my finger for the first time. We celebrated! It was working! My sense of cold, then of heat came back. I kept crocheting. I began to have a little feeling in it and could move it a little. I kept crocheting. With every doctor visit, I would show her my progress. I started being able to curl my finger up and down. I kept crocheting.

 

When the shawl was finished, my finger was better. And why was this so important to me? I'm left handed, and it's the pointer finger on my left hand. So it's my dominant finger on my dominant hand. A lot of Specialists didn't want to deal with this!

 

Crochet IS so theraputic! I have heard person after person say how crochet is such a stress reducer. If it makes you feel like your stress level is dropping, then it has to be helping your blood pressure to drop.

 

I like to do sc and some people think that is odd, but I can get into a stitch rythm and kind of cruise. I don't know ~ maybe that is crochet zoning.

 

Real Deal

[paperflowers]

That's really interesting. I have a mood disorder and find crochet calms me.

[2020kitten]

I'm a special education teacher, and I used to be a psychiatric social worker, so I have just enough knowledge to be dangerous....

Research does show that crochet, knitting, etc., help lower stress levels, and reduce the stress chemicals. It may be that the repetitive motions mimic some aspects of meditation. Also, there is the feeling of accomplishment in learning a new stitch, in completing a project. And there is more and more research coming out showing a link between creativity and productivity.

When my mom began having mini-strokes about 12 years ago, she taught herself to cross-stitch. Not with beginner projects, but with the Lavender & Lace masterpieces. It helped her recover.

My crochet has helped workaholic me deal with being off work for over a month with my back. And making snuggles and cat toys has helped me deal with losing my Nibble-cat.

If this is a vice, I can think of worse, and if it's an addiction, keep me away from any and all Crochet-Anon meetings!

[darski]

 

If this is a vice, I can think of worse, and if it's an addiction, keep me away from any and all Crochet-Anon meetings!

 

Amen sister, you're preaching truth here!

 

I just agree with what you have said

[beth eathorne]

i have a very stressful job and am allowed to take my crochet to work. Between phone calls at 3am it also goes a long towards keeping me awake and alert. I have always told people crochet is my stress relief. When i get really "stressed out" i start something that i know well (granny square) and the hook starts to go and my mind just zones out until i reach a really peaceful place..my "little hobby" as some have called it keeps me sane!

I always carry a bag with a project in it and i mean always. when we get in the car the kids say Mom wheres your crochet bag? Those hooks are my security blanket...

[Real Deal]

Crochet-Anon! I Love It! :rofl

 

I don't know if they still do, but the lottery tickets here used to state in tiny print "If you want help with a gambling problem, call this number ... " Like if you wanted help, you'd be buying the lottery tickets?!

 

Oh yes. We could put up a notice, tee hee "If you have a Crochet Problem call Crochet-Anon now. We care."

 

Real Deal

[Mandys76]

I too find crochet extremely therapuetic...I have inherently high cortisol levels (a stress hormone)...crocheting helps me remain calm and focused.

 

It also helped me when I gave up smoking years ago. It kept my hands and mind busy so I didn't fixate on what I was withdrawing from.

[boo1]

It also helped me when I gave up smoking years ago. It kept my hands and mind busy so I didn't fixate on what I was withdrawing from.

 

Wonder if I could teach my SIL the basics. She wants to quit smoking but has a high stress job. Crocheting would help with that and keep her hands busy.

[kittin1982]

I love to crochet after working at my job on the weekends...I work at Bob Evans (BIG time restaurant for breakfast both on Sat and Sun and it's very hard to keep up most of the time) and It's helps me recover from working those two days....

[DancingStitches]

Crocheting was a livesaver for me! My daughter was severely injured by a drunk driver and we spent months in 4 different hospitals. Everywhere I went in the hospital - surgery waiting room, hospital room, lobby (to get "away") - I always had my crochet bag. I made 4 really large strip afghans during that time. Doctors, Nurses, everyone knew that when I walked away with my "bag" I needed a little space. I still bring my bag to doctors offices, etc. Helps keep you calm while waiting. Crocheting is a great stress reliever!!

[~Kel~]

Crocheting def relieves my stress after working with 6th-8th graders all day.