Rainy days and Mondays
Every have one of those days? My yesterday was. Gray and rainy is my least favorite kind of weather, unless I can curl up on the sofa with a cup of tea and my knitting, but I couldn't because there were a million and three things to do. Plus my daughter, Elizabeth, was getting ready to go back to Seattle. While she'll be back at Christmas, the transition is still always hard. I wish I could tell you that when I feel this way, I give myself a spoonful of sugar, fly my magic umbrella to a Mary Poppins kind of place. But I'm not, and I don't. I just sort of trudge through and do what I have to do, and yesterday, I had to get to the shop.
It was a slow day, which means I can do paperwork or write the newsletter, but instead I decided to treat myself to some focused time on my knitting project which was having a challenging transition time of its own. I pinned the back onto the blocking board and then the front. Turns out I had to reknit both fronts at the shoulder because measuring the armhole of a v-neck is a bear unless it's pinned out. So that was good.
Standing there looking at my pinned out pieces, I realized that I felt better--good, in fact. Why was this, I wondered. It wasn't just that I'd accomplished something, because I'd accomplished half a dozen things, from making granola to cleaning the kitchen to already that morning. This was different. Although it still needed its sleeves, this sweater made me happy.
I did a little research and found that our brains produce serotonin, the happiness chemical, in certain circumstances, one of which is when we feel proud of something. I was proud of my work on this sweater. There had been missteps and re-dos, but there on the blocking board was a well-knit sweater front and back. That I had made. That made me feel proud--and happy.
As knitter's and crocheters, we always have the opportunity to pull out something we've made with our own hands and being proud of our creation. There's absolutely nothing wrong with giving ourselves a little hit of serotonin. In fact, some days our mental health depends on it.
I look forward to seeing you in the shop and around the table. You are always welcome here.
~Ellen
2 Responses
Dara Allen
December 03, 2019
I’ve been feeling really depressed lately. It’s always something: my health, kids, finances, just wading through the crap. Sounds as though it’s time for me to dust off my knitting needles and get that serotonin flowing!