Hobbies which help lower blood pressure and stress

Research has shown that certain hobbies and crafts help reduce stress and lower blood pressure. It is thought that the repetitive actions involved in certain activities like knitting and crochet, help the mind “switch off” and this has a distinct calming effect.

In recent years knitting as a hobby has become hugely popular and has been taken up by various celebrities as their craft of choice. However, now there seems to be new resurgence in popularity of crochet.

Perhaps one of the reasons for this is the fact that crochet only requires one tool (i.e. a hook) and the projects grow incredibly quickly; great for those with little patience. Those who wish to take up crochet as a new hobby should be aware that there are some differences between the terminologies used in UK and USA which can be confusing when trying to crochet from a pattern. Fortunately a crochet expert and enthusiast has come up with a great way round this and you read all about it in our crafting section.