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For this week I thought I would share how I relax when I sit down to sew. For me sewing and quilting are stress relievers, but only if I let them be. There are many frustrating things that happen during the course of a project... cutting the wrong fabric, breaking thread, jamming machine... it happens to us all. Life is like that too sometimes. Sewing is such a good metaphor for life.
So how do I go from tensed and frustrated to relaxed and happy? Here are three steps to relax while sewing.
1.Take a Deep Breath
Breath in slowly and let it out just as slowly. As you let your breath out feel the tension in your body fall away. Sometimes it helps to close your eyes and picture your stress as something physical that is falling to the ground as you let your breath out.
2.Relax Your Shoulders
When I’m sewing my shoulders tend to creep up my neck and fall forward as I hunch over the machine. I’ve tried to correct it with better seating, but I think it is related more to stress then proper seething arrangements. In any case, getting myself into a better sitting posture does wonders for my mood. I push my shoulders back and down, usually in tandem with my breath out in step one.
3.Pause to Meditate
After I release stress with a deep breath and get myself in a better sitting posture I think this to myself...
“I am here in this moment to make this stitch. The next will come but for now I’m going to focus on this one.”
I usually spend a moment thinking about an accomplishment, even if it is just the accomplishment of sitting down at the machine.
With these three steps I feel more relaxed and confident in the project at hand. I also find that when I finish for the day I feel more relaxed and confident to go about the rest of what life has to offer for the day. Try these three steps the next time you sit down to sew. Do they work for you?
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