By now, it is well known that sewing has many mental health benefits. For example, the repetitive nature and rhythm of the hobby can trigger the parasympathetic nervous system. When this occurs, the natural “fight or flight” response to stress is subdued. Knitting, with its delightful clickety-clack rhythm, does the same thing. This is exactly the reason why so many avid sewers and knitters go to their machine or pick up their needles, whenever they’re feeling stressed. Just a few minutes is all they need to get back to a feeling of calm and serenity. This alone is a good reason to blow the dust off your Brother sewing machines – or your preferred brand – and get creative with fabric.
At the same time, there are significant physical benefits associated with sewing as well. One of the biggest is that it improves your posture. In fact, when it comes to correcting your sitting posture and minimising the bad backs that slouching leads to, sewing is probably the best hobby there is. This is because, when you’re sitting at your sewing desk, you need to sit up with a straight back to maintain the best overview of what you’re doing. You can’t properly see the needle and fabric if you’re hunched over the machine, so sewing is a pastime that automatically adjusts your posture, and this can carry over into how you sit even when you’re not sewing
Hand-eye coordination is something else that is improved by sewing. Things like threading a needle, cutting the fabric with precision and even moving the fabric under the sewing machine’s needle require good hand-eye coordination if these tasks are to be completed successfully. The more you sew, the sharper this coordination becomes, and just like your posture, this is something that pays dividends with other things you do in your life.
Meanwhile, there is a growing amount of research that implies a strong link between sewing and reduced blood pressure. One study showed that people who generally suffer from high blood pressure reported lowered blood pressure levels during and after their regular sewing activities. The back and forth movement involved in using a sewing machine, and the focus on that activity while momentarily forgetting the stresses of everyday life, is believed to be responsible for reduced blood pressure while sewing.
Sewing is a workout for body and soul. The regular customers of this leading New Zealand sewing machine retailer will tell you there is more to the hobby than the satisfaction of creating their own clothes. They will tell you they just feel so much better while they’re sewing. There’s more to it than being able to indulge their passion for their favourite hobby. As you’ve just read, there are very real physical and mental benefits to be derived from sewing and it’s little wonder the devotees of the craft feel great in every way.
