Does crafting make you feel happy and balanced?

Dear users, dear authors,
are you happier and more balanced when you craft regularly?
Tell me about it.

It really depends. Actually, I find crafting very relaxing—that’s why I’ve made it my hobby. And when I finish something I’m happy with, it makes me proud and happy.
But when something doesn’t work out, it can also be very frustrating and put me in a bad mood. I also often lose patience with projects that drag on forever, and then it’s no fun to keep working on them—on the other hand, the project always seems to “stare” at me so reproachfully...
I think the most important thing is not to put pressure on yourself. A hobby is supposed to be fun. So it’s better to set something aside for a while than to finish it at any cost. That’s why I’m also glad that I don’t have to earn a living from crafting, but that I really do it just for the sheer joy of it.
All in all, crafting brings me a lot of satisfaction. I find it simply fascinating how the most amazing things—things that previously existed only in my head—can be created from a ball of yarn. And so hardly a day goes by when I don’t have needles in my hands.

I agree with Ruth 100%.
For me, knitting and crocheting are like meditation. I’m completely in the here and now, and I enjoy creating something new. Since for me it’s mainly the journey that matters, I’m happy about every piece that takes shape, and I use every free minute to work on it.

It’s my absolute favorite hobby. These days, I actually feel really “naked” when I’m sitting somewhere in my free time without my needles.

What I also love is that it pulls me away from the computer and into “real life.” 

For me, knitting is pure relaxation. It lets me completely switch off from the stress of everyday life. Without knitting, I feel like something’s missing. There are really simple projects you can knit practically without looking, and sometimes it also has to be something a little more unusual.

For me, crocheting in the evening after a stressful day is super relaxing and a great way to unwind and de-stress—and it doesn’t matter to me whether it’s a simple pattern I can do while watching TV or a more complex one where I might have to figure something out. Since I always have several projects going at once, I can choose exactly what suits my mood.
If I can’t crochet for a few evenings, I feel like something’s missing. I notice this even on vacation—no matter how great the vacation is.

I can only confirm—for myself—that crafting makes me feel content and balanced :-)

I feel the same way as Ruth.

So I don’t go stir-crazy with longer projects, I usually work on smaller ones in between.

I’d like to echo what the others have said—crafting makes me happy, content, and balanced, and it’s sooo much fun :-)

I’d love to join in, too.
I’ve been knitting for about 45 years, and my mother-in-law introduced me to the joy of it.

Crocheting totally relaxes me!
There’s hardly an evening when I don’t spend at least an hour sitting in front of the TV with my crochet hook.

However, it can also have the opposite effect: When, after hours and hours of painstaking work, I notice a mistake that ruins everything, I could literally lose it. 

When I look at my finished projects, I feel very satisfied. It’s just nice to be able to make something yourself.

But I also find that when something doesn’t turn out right, I get upset and grumble. My husband always says, “I thought knitting was supposed to be relaxing.” 

I don’t find it thrilling to discover mistakes in my crochet work only later on—though it’s still bearable.

However, unraveling or knitting back lace patterns is absolutely no fun.
That drives me crazy.

Fortunately, it’s very rare for me to get frustrated while knitting or crocheting.
It happens more when I’m crocheting, when the yarn and hook don’t really work well together and the stitches don’t glide smoothly. That’s why I don’t really like crocheting those tiny little things.

I can knit without looking, especially when the patterns are simple. It’s really relaxing.

In general, it really relaxes me—otherwise I wouldn’t do it ;)
I also knitted while on vacation; I finished the front and back of a sweater and half a sleeve, but I don’t really like knitting sleeves on circular needles, so I saved that tedious work for when I got home and instead knitted a smaller rectangle for my patchwork blanket.

I used to be plagued by stress—I felt worn down, out of balance, and irritable. But ever since I discovered crafting, I’ve been calm and balanced—which proves to me that crafting is relaxing. It’s become a great way for me to unwind after a stressful day at work, and I wouldn’t want to be without my needles anymore.
I recently read a newspaper article about it that confirms exactly this—there must be something to it, right?

I find that crafting has the same effect as meditating. When I count stitches, I clear my mind of whatever’s on my mind at the moment—and then I’ve also created something pretty. But it can also get stressful from time to time, especially when I put off doing those less-favorite tasks (like embroidering or sewing something together, for example) for too long, and the nearly finished piece then stares at me reproachfully... or when I need something by a certain deadline and just don’t feel like doing it at all.