10 Benefits of Mindfulness through Macramé

Macramé is a beautiful craft that is so simple, yet once you learn a few basic knots you have the ability to create a large array of accessories, useful items, and artworks. One of the things I love most about macramé is that it is truly a mindful activity. The methodical tying of knots allows you to slow down, calm your mind, and experience the enjoyment of just being in the moment.

So boil that kettle, brew that deliciously hot cup of tea, take 5 minutes for yourself, and settle in to learn about how mindfulness can benefit both your mind and your life.

What is mindfulness?

Mindfulness is the practice of being fully present in the moment and being intensely aware of what you’re sensing and feeling, without interpretation or judgment. Therefore, a mindful activity is one in which you can practice the techniques of mindfulness whilst carrying out the activity.

Many people believe that to practice mindfulness you need to be sitting on a mountaintop with a yogi guiding you through meditation, but this isn’t the case. You can incorporate mindfulness into many everyday activities. It’s a way to make monotonous chores more enjoyable, and to get the most out of your experiences by being intensely aware of your senses and immersing yourself in the moment.

Why is mindfulness important?

In this day and age, we are so busy with our lives that we often don’t take the time to just be.

We’re constantly trying to multitask. (Even though it’s been shown time and time again that multitasking is actually a big waste of time!) In the rush to get everything done we often pile tasks on top of one another; folding the washing while sorting out a disagreement with the kids and watching an episode of our favourite tv show; listening to the radio while driving to work and planning what we will have for dinner that night. If there is any down time, we find ourselves reaching for our phones to mindlessly scroll through Facebook to fill the 5 free minutes before the next task.

And don’t even mention the amount of stress added by social media. There’s those feelings you get when you see other peoples’ happy photos that seem like they’re hitting all these life goals, when you struggle to get out of your pyjamas before lunchtime after a sleepless night with sick kids. Or the constant tug-of-war between what it means to be successful in your career while also being the best mother/partner/friend/daughter you can be.

All of these expectations we place on ourselves from what we see on social media just puts us in an impossible situation where we can never be amazing at everything. If we spread ourselves that thinly across so many aspects we’ll be lucky to be mediocre at best. We become disconnected from the present moment and instead fixate on what’s next or how we could have done something better in the past.

Enter macramé as a mindful activity. Mindfulness has been found to play an important role in stress reduction and overall happiness.

Conditions that may be helped by practicing mindfulness:

• Anxiety
• Stress
• Depression
• Insomnia (inability to get quality sleep)
• Pain
• High blood pressure (hypertension)

How is macramé a mindful activity?

A mindful activity is something you can do that allows you to slow down, calm yourself, and focus on being present in the moment. Macramé can be a mindful activity because it enables you to relax and cultivate a sense of inner peace.

Try the following mindfulness exercises next time you’re completing a macramé project:

• Focus on how the cotton cord feels between your fingers
• Slow your breathing and focus on breath in and breath out
• Clear your mind and concentrate only on creating the pattern before you
• Appreciate the joy in the little things, such as a knot that came together just right
• Become intensely aware of your movements and get into a rhythm tying knots
• Notice any thoughts that come to mind, and let them move on without any judgment

10 Benefits of Mindfulness through Macramé

Want to find an excuse to create more with macramé? Find 10 mindfulness benefits plus 3 bonus reasons why incorporating more macramé into your life can only be a good thing!

1. Mindfulness reduces anxiety and stress

While it’s normal to have some stressful or negative thoughts and feelings, it’s not healthy to hold onto them. Getting caught up in those stressful thoughts and feelings and worrying about the past or future problems can turn you into a big ball of stress and anxiety.

Practicing mindfulness through macramé can be an excellent way of managing stress. It can help you learn how to anchor yourself in the present and appreciate the beauty in the little things. By being fully present in the moment you learn to simply acknowledge any thoughts and feelings without getting drawn into them. Avoiding getting caught up in negative thoughts and feelings can reduce anxiety and stress.

2. Mindfulness decreases levels of depression

The practice of being mindful teaches the technique of experiencing the joy in the little things. Being in the moment and appreciating the warm sunlight on your hands as you’re working, or the perfection of how that knot came together just right, helps you gain experience in focusing on the positives.

Similarly to benefit #1, the ability to note any intensely negative emotions, accept them without judgment, and move on allows you to better regulate your emotions. This, in turn, leads to better coping with big emotions and management of depression.

3. Mindfulness helps you sleep better

Practicing mindfulness through macramé teaches calming techniques that can also be conducive to sleep. Do you often lay in bed with thoughts storming around in your head? Or keep glancing at the clock getting more and more anxious about how late it is and how you haven’t managed to get to sleep yet? The same mindfulness techniques can be used to note any thoughts you have while falling asleep without judgment and send them on their way.

Spending some time working on a macramé project just before bed can also help you to relax and calm your mind in preparation for sleep. Instead of having screen time as your last activity before bed, try spending half an hour creating a macramé item.

4. People who practice mindfulness perceive pain differently

The techniques you learn through practicing mindfulness can be used to change your relationship with pain. Rather than reacting to pain and focusing on the suffering associated with it, mindfulness teaches how to experience the sensations of the pain itself without being attached to the response. This change in perspective can allow you to approach pain with more acceptance and less fear, meaning you can experience some relief and healing even though the pain may still be present.

There is also some emerging research that practicing mindfulness can actually decrease the intensity of pain. Deep breathing can induce relaxation, focus your mind on something other than the pain, and reverse the physical symptoms of stress.

5. Mindfulness increases overall health

This benefit is closely related to many of the other points already discussed. Regularly experiencing high levels of stress and anxiety, high blood pressure, lack of sleep, and chronic pain can have a negative effect on health; anything that can improve these individual issues will also have an impact on overall health.

Practicing mindfulness while creating macramé can reduce anxiety and stress, lower blood pressure, be conducive to sleep, and help you be more accepting and less reactive to constant pain. This, in turn, can have a profound effect on your overall health.

6. Practicing mindfulness can improve your relationships

The mindfulness techniques learned in regards to noting thoughts and feelings without reacting to them increases emotional regulation. In terms of relationships, if you’re in an emotional discussion with a spouse and you have the ability to note how you are feeling without immediately reacting to that feeling, you will be much more likely to have a meaningful interaction. Not being reactive means you have the space to find out about the other persons’ point of view and take the time to see the issue from all angles.

Another aspect of practicing mindfulness that can be used to improve relationships is focusing on being in the moment. Instead of scrolling through your phone (or something else equally distracting) while your spouse is talking to you, practice actively listening and giving them your full attention – being fully present in the moment. Believe me…your spouse will be much happier!

7. Mindfulness helps you deal with illness

Dealing with chronic or potentially terminal illness can be extremely traumatic for both the person who is ill as well as close family members and friends. An important aspect of dealing with illness is the patient’s sense of hope and general outlook on life.

Studies have shown that practicing mindfulness can kickstart a cycle of positive change in patients and their loved ones. Mindfulness exercises can also improve the symptoms of stress, lessen reactivity to the diagnosis, build up endurance, relieve fatigue, and heighten spirituality.

8. Mindfulness helps you with recovery

Not only can practicing mindfulness help you deal with illness, but it can also help you move on after a life-threatening event.

Studies have shown that mindfulness can help facilitate post-traumatic growth, increase self-kindness, build endurance, and enhance spirituality. Practicing mindfulness can also reduce anxiety and stress, lessen the chance of being caught up in worry, and focus on the here and now, rather than what has been in the past.

9. Mindfulness can improve focus and concentration

The techniques associated with mindfulness can help improve your focus and concentration. For instance, if you’re trying to write a report for work, but your mind keeps wandering to the other tasks you still need to complete, you can employ the same mindfulness exercises. Note any thoughts that come to mind and then move them on without judgment. Then pay full attention to the task at hand.

Evidence also suggests that mindfulness helps to create new connections in the brain. As new connections are made, your brain is essentially rewiring itself to find new and better ways of handling tasks.

10. Mindfulness can help foster patience

Patience is closely related to mindfulness. If you’re impatient, it often means that you’re uncomfortable just being in the moment and are wanting to rush on to the next activity. Some people are naturally patient, but patience is also a skill that you can build up.

Mindfulness helps foster patience because it is a way to slow down and enjoy the experience of the current moment. Practicing mindfulness trains you to become aware of your thoughts and accept them, without labelling them as positive or negative. Rather than impatiently waiting in traffic, focus on enjoying listening to that song on the radio, or becoming curious about your surroundings.

PLUS

If the 10 benefits of mindfulness found above aren’t enough to get you knotting, consider these 3 added benefits of creating macramé items from nothing but a roll of cord and some time.

Create something beautiful and lasting

From items as small as earrings to items as large as wall hangings, the only limit to what you can make using macramé is your imagination. Craft something useful like a plant hanger, or something beautiful to look at like a mandala, and you will have created something beautiful and lasting using your own two hands.

Feel a sense of pride

The next time someone compliments you on that beautiful macramé wall hanging taking pride of place on the wall in your lounge room, you can feel satisfaction that you created that artwork. Not everyone takes the time to craft elegant items by knotting macramé cord, so take pleasure in the fact that you have chosen to dedicate some of your precious time to create something beautiful.

Surprise yourself at your ability

Even if you’ve struggled to master other crafts, macramé is surprisingly easy to pick up. Learn a few basic knots and follow a simple pattern and before you know it, you’ve created a masterpiece! Whether you’re looking to learn a new skill for homeschooling, take some time to yourself while the baby is sleeping, or fill your day with a new hobby after retiring, you will often surprise even yourself at just how well some macramé projects turn out.

Sources:

23 Amazing Health Benefits of Mindfulness for Body and Brain (positivepsychology.com)

Mindfulness for Physical Pain | Taking Charge of Your Health & Wellbeing (umn.edu)

Mindfulness Can Increase Your Concentration and Lower Stress – Penn State World Campus Blog (psu.edu)

Conclusion

Mindfulness has so many benefits for your mental health and your life in general. From reducing stress and helping you sleep better, to improving your relationships and fostering patience, there are countless reasons to try mindfulness through macramé.

If all of this information has you excited to start creating, head over to the Patterns section of my blog and choose your next macramé project now.