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| picture by Ashla Ward |
As this blog has emphasised over the years, one of the best ways
to deal with the stress of exams, study, personal relationships and all the
little and large crises of life is to give your brain time out to relax.
If we focus too much on our problems there is a danger, in the words of stitchlinks, that we
will develop ‘a
tunnel-visioned focus [that]
can soon develop into destructive cycles of downward spiralling thoughts which
become difficult to break’.
Walking, talking, reading, drawing, cooking, playing games and
sports, socialising with friends and families are all incredibly valuable ways
of coping with and enriching our lives. Distracted by the pleasures of our
pastimes, we free our thoughts from the immediacy and intensity of our worries,
and let our brain can quietly, and in its own time, contemplate and process all
the information that our daily lives throw at it. All these past times have the
added advantage of being relatively low cost, or indeed having no cost at all.
Hobbies are another great way of being creative, socialising and
letting the brain sort through any worries in a relaxed manner. Stitchlinks is a website dedicated to promoting the health and social
benefits of knitting and crochet. As well as providing Learn To guide for beginners it includes information on the recent
scientific, medicinal and psychological research into the benefits of creating
with your hands.
In the next blog I’ll be chatting to NUI Galway’s Ashla Ward, who
will be talking about her life as a crochet ninja as well as providing info and
links for groups in Galway. In the meantime, check out Stitchlinks and have a look at this video. Enjoy!
* * *
For
more on how to look good, feel good and be in charge of your life as a student
at NUI Galway check out Student's Services Health Promotion Students at NUI Galway can also sign
up for the free online health and wellness magazine Student
Health 101
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