When I first heard the news, besides crying, I felt like doing nothing. I just sat around the house for a few days with my memories and thinking about everything that will never be said or done with my mother again. I could feel depression coming on as I didn't want to talk to anyone or eat anything.
It is times like these when I try to keep myself busy. When I experienced other life-changing events several years ago I threw myself into DIY (do-it-yourself) projects to keep me from wallowing in my sadness. That is how I got 80% of my house renovated. I still have the kitchen to finish, but I hit a wall -- a wall is literally standing in the way of completing it!
Now that I am a Stampin' Up! demonstrator I turn to my paper crafts to keep me busy. It's much less messy and quicker to achieve results than renovations. However I did spend a couple days during the past week finishing a deck I made out of some wooden pallets.
To stave off depression, I've made lots of cards over the past week and I find my mood has changed to a more positive one. I am still sad but I think more about all the wonderful memories I have of my mother and I no longer dwell on the things I cannot change. I enjoyed making these Valentines for the shops I sell my cards at in my small town, even though I didn't celebrate Valentine's Day myself.
I then turned my attention to making samples for an upcoming class. I didn't design these cards myself, but I enjoyed putting them together and thinking about all the fun my customers will have making these at the Painted Poppies class.
Being creative and doing physical activities has been shown to boost your mood by releasing dopamine. There is lots of research shown online to back this up and I truly believe it. I have a more positive mood when I throw myself into a project, especially when I have no control over what is making me depressed. Being with others is helpful as well, but sometimes you just feel too sad to be around people.
That is when keeping active with crafts is my saviour. It doesn't change what has happened but it gives me a purpose and makes me feel better. Often times I lose myself in the task at hand whether it be building a deck, renovating my house, stitching or creating cards and other papercrafts. Besides being a natural anti-depressant, crafting helps me relax and gives me a feeling of accomplishment.
So if you are going through a challenging time I suggest you find something to keep you busy such as making cards or other papercrafts and I would be happy to help you with that!
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