Finally managed to pull my current cross stitch project last night and get it set up in my stand. Did quite a bit of sewing last night in front of 'Picnic at Hanging Rock' and it felt so good to lose myself like that. It's not exactly the best coping tool as you can only do it at home really, it's not something you can do at work (and due to terrorism you make people nervous if you pull out very sharp scissors in a public place) but I'd consider it a nice little bit of private therapy to do at the end of a hectic day. It's a way to let your mind rest but you are still productive. It's a way to be quite and still but make something lovely at the same time. Currently I'm working on a Japanese Garden. It's much more challenging than I thought it'd be, and because I've moved 500 miles across the country I have had to take a few weeks off here and there but all in all I'd say it was a really nice way to relax and forget I'm depressed. It might not stop me having episodes or days where all I want to do is kill myself but it does mean I get to go to bed having spent an hour with my brain almost totally turned off. Sometimes it's nice to have the telly on but I could more than happily spend hours in complete silence, with nothing but the sound of the thread running through my aida fabric. If you ever feel like you can't do anything right, even when your handwriting gets you down, it can be such a peaceful thing to just follow a simple chart and create something beautiful with little effort. You can get pre made kits, which all my projects have been. The fabric, the thread, the needle and charts all come with the kit. I've attached a photo, this is a cross stitch I did just after Christmas this year. If anyone sews or wants to start sewing and you fancy a chat about it then comment or hit me up if you want. I'd love to get the oldest form of embroidery classed as a mental health aid. I'm sure the NHS are going to start recommending it soon. If you want to try something new to help wind down before bed, that will quite your mind and maybe even help stop those nasty thoughts that swirl about and keep you up all night, I'd really recommend cross stitching.
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