The Benefits of Beading for Mental Health
Beading is an art form that has been around for centuries. It involves threading beads onto a string or wire to create jewelry or decorative objects. While beading is often seen as a fun hobby or a creative outlet, it also has a range of benefits for mental health. In this blog post, we’ll explore some of the ways that beading can benefit your mental health.
1.Reduces stress and anxiety
Beading can be a great way to reduce stress and anxiety. When you’re beading, you’re focused on the task at hand and the repetitive motion of threading beads can be soothing and calming. In fact, beading has been compared to meditation, which is known to reduce stress and anxiety levels.
I know that this fact is true, because I test it on myself everyday. I live in Ukraine, which means I have A LOT of anxiety these days. Beading definitely helps. It mutes “what if” questions in my head and all I can think about is the next row of beads. I count them, thread and see that my hands can make beautiful things out of simple tiny beads.
2. Increases mindfulness
Mindfulness is the practice of being present in the moment and paying attention to your thoughts, feelings, and sensations without judgment. Beading can help you practice mindfulness by keeping your mind focused on the present moment and the task at hand. As you thread beads and create your design, you’ll be fully immersed in the process, which can help you let go of worries and distractions.
This point is highly related to the first one. If your mind is wandering somewhere while beading, you’ll get mistakes, broken beads and you’ll have to start over and over. Until you learn this lesson and your minds gets absorbed in beading. This is when you catch your “zen” moment, the flow and that’s when the healing begins. Sometimes I like to record the process of beading from the side and post it on Instagram, so that you can see how concentrated I am. It’s clear from even just watching these short videos, that beading takes all my attention. It’s hard to explain, if you haven’t tried it yourself.
3. Boosts self-esteem
Beading can also boost self-esteem. When you create something beautiful and unique, you feel a sense of accomplishment and pride.
This point is even more true, when you start showing your beaded masterpieces on social media or even start selling them. You’ll see how many people like what you do, like watching the process of you making this beauties, how they are influenced and excited to try beading, too. But be careful and don’t rely solely on other people’s appreciation! Your first and the most valuable fan is YOU. If you like what you do, if you like the process and you see your growth, than it’s totally worth it.
4. Provides a sense of control
When you’re beading, you have control over the design and the outcome. This can be empowering, especially if you feel like you have little control over your life. Beading can provide a sense of agency and autonomy, which can be beneficial for mental health.
You take small beads in tubes or packets, pour them on the beading mat and start creating. Usually I have some plan, pattern or a general idea of what I’m making. But sometimes in the process I see that something isn’t right and I want to change it. It’s totally in my control and feels AMAZING.
5. Fosters creativity
Beading is a creative outlet that allows you to express yourself in a unique way. When you’re beading, you have the freedom to create your own designs and experiment with different colors and patterns. This can be a fun and fulfilling way to tap into your creativity and explore your artistic side.
Well, this is clearly the moment where I can say that we have a HUGE variety of patterns at www.nikobeadsua.com. You can pick a pattern, change the colors to your liking, change the type of beads, the shape… You can do whatever you like and see how it goes! If you don’t like the result, you can always start over.
Grab your pattern now and start healing by the creative process of beading!
In conclusion, beading is a great way to promote mental health and well-being. Whether you’re looking to reduce stress, increase mindfulness, boost self-esteem, gain a sense of control, or foster creativity, beading can help. So the next time you’re feeling stressed or anxious, consider picking up some beads and getting creative!