Crafting: a great cure for depression

Hello my lovelies. How’s your week been?

Me, I’ve been having a brilliant time! I’ve spent the last few days knee-deep in potions, powders bats and spiders.

Yep. The World of Suzy Homemaker is preparing for Halloween!

Yes, yes… I know it’s only August. If truth be told, it’s a little early for all things spooky even for me, but you know what? Day after day of wall-to-wall grey skies was killing me.

Last week, I lamented the non-existence of summer so much that I decided to sell my 30-year-old Bon Jovi collection.

I know!

With little improvement on the weather front and autumn looming far too close on the horizon for my liking, I was in need of a serious shot of excitement to stop me spiralling into a deep, dark hole.

Crafting my way out of depression

I love me a bit of crafting. Over the years, I’ve dabbled in all sorts, from handmade greetings cards, to glass painting, to rubber-stamping. If you’re a frequent visitor to my world, you’ll already be familiar with my stash of materials and just how much Beloved enjoyed hoofing numerous boxes of “craft shit” from house to house.

Imagine his delight to discover I’ve ACTUALLY starting using some of it!

I find crafting therapeutic. I can get lost in the creative process for hours, if not days. From planning a project and visualising how it’s going to look, (let’s hear it for Pinterest!) to standing back and admiring the end result, crafting fills me with joy and a deep sense of satisfaction.

I imagine it’s not unlike the current craze of “mindful colouring”. The shops are awash with gorgeous colouring books, designed specifically for adults. It’s the latest “in thing” and grown-ups everywhere are using colouring-in as a way to de-stress.

That sounds right up my alley!

I’ve managed to resist so far, but I keep looking at them. I’ve no doubts I’ll succumb eventually.

Whether it’s colouring-in, or creating Halloween apothecary, getting creative is great for soothing the mind.

I can’t remember the last time I spent quality time with my crafts and I’ve absolutely LOVED it. These past few days have really helped to ward off some rather unpleasant feelings and keep my emotions in check.

Coping with Seasonal Affective Disorder

I’ve suffered with S.A.D. or Seasonal Affective Disorder since before I knew it was a recognised condition. For me, it starts around mid to late August, depending on how “good” our summer’s been.

I know it sounds ridiculous, but before August has even ended, I’m already fighting an overpowering sense of sadness at the prospect of winter. Despite still being the height of summer and enjoying light evenings until almost 9pm, I’m already acutely aware of the nights becoming shorter.

Every year, it’s the same thing. The end of summer overwhelms me.

I feel like winter is rushing unrelentingly towards me; the long, cold months stretching endlessly ahead like a unending path into darkness.

To some, that may sound extreme.

To me, it’s just another part of who I am, albeit one that needs to be managed.

Hello Halloween

I love Halloween, or Samhain as it is to me. I love decorating OneandSeventy for all the seasons and celebrations, but Samhain is my favourite one of all.

So when the weather reports forecast yet another week of more grey and those familiar feelings of discontent started to stir, I figured getting crafty would be a great way to keep the winter blues at bay.

Even if it did mean welcoming Halloween two months early!

Many Brits don’t “do” Halloween; mistakenly believing it’s an American import. The history of Halloween is firmly rooted in Gaelic and pagan folklore but sadly, the UK’s connection with this important ancient festival is now so weak that most years, we seem to launch straight from summer into winter in a heartbeat, almost entirely missing out autumn altogether.

Today was a classic reminder.

While Beloved and I took a long overdue lunch break and indulged my childlike excitement of trawling the charity shops for items to Halloweenify (of course it’s a word!), we saw…

Wait for it…

CHRISTMAS CARDS!!!

In AUGUST!!

I shit you not.

No wonder the end of summer fills me with such sadness.

Personally, I think our American cousins have the right idea. My US blogging counterparts have such a rich source of Halloween bounty to play with and they celebrate the season with so much joy, it’s the one time of year I wish I lived across the puddle!

Maybe one year, I’ll ask Beloved if we can’t spend Samhain in America!

So, after banging on about all this crafting I’ve been doing, I bet you’re dying to see it. Well not so fast you!

Ha! OK. I sound like I’m in control here, but in all honesty, I’ve been that engrossed in creating; I haven’t had a chance to photograph it yet! I promise to get it done soon.

In the meantime, here are some sneaky peeks, to be going on with.

Are you intrigued?

You’ll just have to pop back to see the whole spooky shebang! In the meantime, why don’t you subscribe to email updates, or follow me via Bloglovin‘ so you don’t miss out?

Do you suffer with S.A.D. or another form of depression? How do you cope? Have you tried crafting to help combat feelings of unexplained sadness?

Perhaps, like me, you’ve already started warding off the dark nights by finding fun in Halloween makes? Drop a comment below and let me know!

A hui hou,