The Mental Health Benefits of Embroidery

I didn’t embark on my embroidery journey with the goal of improving my mental health…it was just one of those happy accidents. Of all the hobbies I have taken up, embroidery has, hands down, been the most therapeutic. And since then, that hobby has turned into a great passion which has benefited my inner well-being in so many ways! I’ll share with you the big ones:

1. Provides mental breaks

The COVID lockdown in 2020 was when I really started leaning into creating my landscape embroideries because I was able to mentally escape into the scenes I was stitching, since we couldn’t really leave the house too often. Being that it was the first (and hopefully last) pandemic we had ever experienced, and it was a scary and stressful time for all of us, stitching wide open spaces - places that I had traveled to in the past, and places I was hoping to visit in the future - was a temporary respite, and gave my mind permission to pause.

4 years later, the days of COVID seem like a strange and distant dream, but embroidery remains a consistent provider of mental rejuvenation for me.

2. Acts as a stress reducer

Stressors are just a part of life, and being a parent can take those to a whole new level (at least in my case). Being able to make something beautiful with my own hands is always an endorphins booster for me, and that’s why embroidery has been such a gratifying pursuit. This activity can serve as a pleasant distraction that doesn’t involve scrolling on my phone or zoning out in front of the tv, and I often fall into a nice flow while I’m working that feels almost restorative.

3. Gives me a creative outlet

I have created art in one form or another my whole life, but self-expression through needle and thread is just my jam. It’s a low-maintenance, non-messy medium that I can put down and pick back up easily, and by translating my mood or emotions onto my fabric, I get to produce a tangible piece of art in the process.

4. Helps me practice mindfulness

Embroidery, especially the thread painting technique that I specialize in, provides a meditative quality due to the repetitive movements of the stitches. Simply focusing on the work in front of me allows my mind to close all the other tabs that have to be open throughout the day.

5. Motivates me to achieve goals

The sense of fulfillment I get from completing a piece, and having other people encourage and support what I am doing as well, is so motivating! Achieving goals I have set for myself with my embroidery, whether they be completing a specific work or submitting my art to be featured somewhere, gives me such feelings of productivity and accomplishment.

6. Contributes to me making social connections

As an ambivert who deals with occasional anxiety, feeling isolated is just something that happens from time to time. That’s why finding such a large, supportive, and creative online community has been really wonderful! Being able to connect with like-minded individuals from different parts of the world because you share a love of the same thing, while not actually having to talk face-to-face (lol), is something that pacifies the majority of my need for social interaction.

I seriously can’t say enough good things about embroidery and all the positive benefits practicing this art form has brought with it! If you have ever thought about learning, please just go for it! You won’t regret it! Here’s a list of my Embroidery Essentials to get you started!