Creativity Can Help You to Cope With Your Pain

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I often mention using distractions as a way of coping with pain. That’s because when we concentrate on something, it can take the focus off the pain, even if only briefly. I love creative hobbies because my mind can become really absorbed in whatever I’m doing. A lot of people in the chronic illness community are also creative, so perhaps I’m not the only one who thinks that creativity can help us to cope with pain.

I would never suggest that creativity can cure pain. If my doctors can’t cure it, painting a pretty picture or stringing some beads together certainly won’t. But I’m sure it helps me to cope.

Creativity Can Help to Keep Your Mind Busy

Being creative gives me something else to focus on. It might only last for a short time before my pain is at the forefront of my mind again. However, even if it only helps for a few minutes, I think it’s a good result.

Being creative is an enjoyable way to keep my brain active but it can also help mental health. It can be calming, relaxing, therapeutic and often gives a great sense of achievement.

Creativity Can Help Pain and Make Beautiful Gifts

As well as helping you to cope with pain, being creative has an added benefit. The finished product can make the perfect gift or card, especially for birthdays or Christmas.

Any Creative Hobby Can Help You to Cope With Your Pain

Whether you carve wood or crochet hats, a creative hobby can act as a distraction. I’ve tried various creative crafts over the years. I’ve made jewellery, I’ve painted, cross-stitched and made greeting cards. They’ve all helped me, but one of my favourites has been cardmaking.

Cardmaking is a Fun Distraction

Card making is fun and it is also one of the easiest hobbies to have. You can make cards as simple or as intricate as you want. There are no rules. You make them the way you want to make them. It’s as simple as that.

Cards can be so expensive in shops, so making them yourself can also save you some money. You can buy card making kits or you can purchase individual items from craft shops. I do a bit of both.

All my cards were individual and I often personalised them with names. I also wrote personal verses for many of them so that the recipient got something really special and unique.

Die Cutting for Cardmaking

About ten years ago, I bought a die-cutting machine after seeing it advertised on a shopping channel. Don’t you just love those shopping channels? You see things that you’d never normally buy, but I have to say I’m glad I made that purchase. The die cutter attaches to my computer just like a printer, but instead of printing, it cuts.

My die cutting machine was used for several things, but mainly in card making. I was able to cut out names, numbers and greetings, then glue them onto the cards. It was also useful for cutting out embellishments like flowers, hearts, butterflies or even just fancy designs which I could then put onto the cards.

I used a graphic design programme to make my own designs but nowadays, you can buy SVG files from online suppliers to make life easier. I’m all in favour of making life easier.

What Else Could You Do With SVG Files

I had a lot of fun making those cards with the die cutting machine but it could be used for so much more than just making cards.

If you have a die cutting machine, you’d be able to use paper cutting templates to cut out designs to embellish scrapbooking pages or use as stencils. You could make decoupage pictures, wall hangings or lightboxes. If you cut several copies of the design, then glue them together, you can create designs that are sturdy, almost like hardboard. Paint them or glaze them to make mandalas, gorgeous dream catchers or design a name or initial for a child’s bedroom door. You could even make custom jewellery, another hobby of mine.

Cutting machines don’t just cut paper. They also cut foil card, vinyl or thin craft foam therefore you could make vinyl stickers, car decals or cut iron-on transfers for t-shirts.

Many of the files from the Design Bundles online store can be downloaded in various formats including SVG, PNG, PDF and JPEG. This means the files can be used for virtually anything. If you have a blog or a website, you could use their files to make logos, images or banners or you could simply print off designs on a printer to make cards or posters.

They have some amazing designs, all very reasonably priced and they even have some freebies. A bargain is great, but free is even better!

Now that I’m talking about it, I’m itching to get my cutting machine back out and dusted off. Maybe I should start thinking about Christmas cards! Too early?

Creativity Might Help You to Cope with Your Pain

For me, creativity is a lifesaver because it really can help me to cope with my pain.

Are you crafty? Do you find that creativity helps you to cope with your pain too? I’d really love to see your creative creations – you could share pics on my Facebook or Twitter pages.