Laziness

‘Why Being Lazy is Good for Your Health’. Now that was a title that stopped us in our tracks!

Not that we’d consider our time with needle and thread as lazy, but the article in an issue of The Australian Women’s Weekly magazine helped us to realise afresh why time spent stitching is so incredibly vital to our wellbeing.

Research has shown that taking time out from the busyness of our day to day has an array of benefits, and that when we’re conscious of these benefits, we’re more likely to make the time to be idle.

Some of the many benefits the article referenced were:

More Energy | Taking the time to slow down allows us to recharge.

New Ideas | It has been shown that when our attention is at rest, this is the time we are most likely to think about the future and/or work through what is on our mind.

Less Stress | Allowing ourselves the time to be ‘unproductive’ can help us cope with the stress we all inevitably experience at times.

Happiness | Slowing down helps us remember what’s really important and can provide the energy we need to achieve our dreams and goals.

The good news for those of us who turn to needle and thread in moments of inactivity is that we’re well on our way to perfecting the art of idleness, and if you’re anything like us, will have recognised some of the many benefits we experience whilst engaging in the art of stitch in the list above.

Still not convinced that your stitching should regularly find itself at the top of your To Do List?

Charlotte Thaarup, founder of the Mindfulness Clinic, reminded us in the article that, ‘As Einstein said, there are two ways of seeing the world – as if nothing is a miracle or as if everything is a miracle. We can’t see the miracle when we’re in our doing mode. When we relax, though, we’re able to see the miracle of a flower or a smile, and our hearts are open to taking in the miracle that life is.’

And what better way to see the miracles around us than through our time with needle and thread?!