Needlepoint as grief therapy?

[Anonymous]

My sister died recently and I am overcome with grief.

Would needlepoint be helpful?

[Anonymous]

I’m sorry. I guess it is worth trying. I tried a few hobbies when I was grieving but found I couldn’t maintain sufficient focus to make them worthwhile. I have a blanket I was knitting before and after my father’s death that is like a map of my emotional state. I didn’t notice the mistakes at the time and then I didn’t have the heart to rip out mistakes. There are rows and rows with weird errors in the pattern.

Needlepoint can be very expensive so it might make you feel worse if it doesn’t go well. On the other hand, it could be a good replacement for unhealthy coping mechanisms if that’s what you are using now. If having an end product would feel like a validation of your existence, it could be a healthy goal. If the pressure to produce something is too much, something more open-ended like gardening or a daily walk might feel better.

[Anonymous]

I had the urge to learn to knit after my dad died. I went to a class - found it frustrating. Very out of shape people there. I decided to get fitter. I've since lost 20 pounds.

Good luck

[Anonymous]

It's worth trying. I have a bunch of hobbies, needlepoint among them, and I find them distracting in a good way. Needlepoint is pretty simple to learn, so it's worth a try if you think you'll enjoy it.

[Anonymous]

It's worth trying. I also taught myself to knit after a loss and that was nice...do you play an instrument? Picking that up again is another option.

[Anonymous]

So sorry. I found needlepoint too fiddly and knitting too stressful during grief but I re-discovered crochet during the pandemic and realized that a simple pattern can be great for anxiety. I liked to make blankets that start from the middle (so there's no chaining and so on) and I'm a big fan of moss stitch for a mindless and meditative craft. And you can watch tv or listen to music etc while you do it. If you use acrylic yarn, you can donate your blankets to Project Linus.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I had the urge to learn to knit after my dad died. I went to a class - found it frustrating. Very out of shape people there. I decided to get fitter. I've since lost 20 pounds.

Good luck

Wow. Did it ever cross your mind that a lot of people take up crafts when their hands work but their legs/back/hips don't so well? What a horribly judgmental approach to life. "I was going to learn to knit but there were too many fatties knitting."

God spare you the sort of injury that leads to eating those words and learning some grace and compassion, pp. Best of luck to YOU.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I had the urge to learn to knit after my dad died. I went to a class - found it frustrating. Very out of shape people there. I decided to get fitter. I've since lost 20 pounds.

Good luck

And here I've managed to both knit and stay fit for years. Must be a "you" thing.

[Anonymous]

No suggestions, but just sending you my sympathies. I just said a little prayer for you OP.

[Anonymous]

My wife went through a major health issue and started to needlepoint during it. It absolutely improved her life and is a great coping skill - she calls it yoga for the brain.

There is a wonderful needlepoint store in Middleburg — Stitch.

[Anonymous]

OP, for me, while I like knitting and needlepoint, keeping my hands busy would still allow my mind to ruminate over the grief.

Can I respectfully suggest that a better way to cope with grief is through individual therapy or in a grief support group?

[Anonymous]

I like cross stitch. It's cheap, straight forward, and almost meditative. I say worth a try. I don't know much about needlepoint specifically, though.

[Anonymous]

I’m so sorry for your loss, OP.

I have been grieving too, and nothing really helped me but time. What a PP said hit home: my mind doesn’t really turn off enough.

Sitting with my grief has been really horrible, but it’s slowly getting better.

[Anonymous]

I noticed that the times in my life when I experienced a big trauma, I took up a new interest. But it wasn’t keeping my hands busy. One was getting really into aquarium fish, and the next time it was genealogy. Or it was hands on house projects. Needlepoint and knitting are too fiddly for me.

[Anonymous]

I'm so sorry, OP. Big hugs to you. Whatever hobby you feel the urge to do will be helpful. Stay away from drink and drugs. Go crazy with needlepoint if you want!