Creativity as an antidote to anxiety

Well. As the news of the world is increasingly worrisome, I've been thinking again about how we navigate things that are scary and uncomfortable. We learned a lot about coping strategies during covid, but this feels different, somehow.

At the start of this year I made a personal commitment to lean into creativity as much as possible; to cram creating in every corner of life. As someone who lives with anxiety, it's surprised even me at how much better I feel already. There's a great article on RNZ about just this, with author Martha Beck:
 

"Anytime I get anxious, I ask myself, "What could I make?" Not "What shall I do?" but "What can I make?" 

I've been sharing it with everyone, and have Martha Beck's new book 'Beyond Anxiety: Curiosity, Creativity and Finding Your Life's Purpose' on reserve at the library. So alongside the usual knitting, there's been added sewing and cross-stitch and writing: