Hey y'all, this is a wildly delayed message. I won't hide it, posting anything is always a fight for me and something I will continue fighting to do, but the best thing I know to do is to keep showing up.
To give myself a little grace though, this was a very abnormal month, health-wise. More than two-thirds of the month of July have been spent sleeping for me or resting. I have a chronic illness known as systemic lupus erythematosus (say that 5 times fast), otherwise known as SLE or just lupus. For those of you into medical dramas, this is the disease mentioned on House M.D. that immediately gets dismissed; I could not stop laughing when I was diagnosed because I kept thinking of that show. Lupus is relatively common, can vary drastically from person to person, and is treatable but not curable. I believe have a relatively mild case, but there are some symptoms I have to have contingencies for; namely fatigue, muscle weakness, and joint pain . The first , as you can tell, keeps me bed bound and asleep all day, preventing anything from getting done. Even eating. The joint pain and muscle weakness are interesting though, and far more relevant to crocheting in general.
Muscle weakness, as it appears in me at least, is what you'd expect. Muscles all over weaken due to inflammation, making it difficult to lift or move heavy objects AND lessens my endurance. Joint paint is even more straight forward; knuckles hurt to move, not move, squeeze, relax, touch…the whole gambit. And, wouldn't you know it, you need your muscles and joints to crochet!
I started crocheting when I first got diagnosed. It was a chance for me to control my life and surroundings in the uncertainty of recovery. It kept me grounded and sane when I was trying to shift my worldview and outlook on the future. Unfortunately, crocheting can be pretty rough on your body, and not just the fingies; those repetitive rotating motions can reek havoc on your wrist, forearms, up to the elbows, and even your back and neck depending on your posture. Combine those risks with my excitement, my tight yarn tension due to inexperienced, and weakened body due to lupus…I ended up being in a sling because of crocheting! I find this story more hilarious than embarrassing, and educational overall.
As of yet, no slings have been required since, but I have implemented some useful practices to prevent more issues like that:
Stretch and rest. Even small muscles can be injured and torn, so stop regularly and give them a chance to relax, just the same as a larger muscle group. THIS GOES FOR IF YOU HAVE AN INJURY AS WELL. Immobilizing an injury means less mobility down the line -- think about how physical therapy works. Instead, make sure gentle movements are used frequently to keep flexibility and fight muscle fatigue and overwork.
Compression and support. Compression gloves and finger splints are very helpful to add support so that muscles aren't taking the full burden. It also helps with blood flow, allowing those moving parts to stay oxygenated. I only use splints if I have a specific issue, though, the same way you only use a crutch when something is hurting.
Time limits. I love to crochet, and the yarn beckons me often, but there are few scenarios where 8 hours of continuous anything is beneficial. Sleep, I guess, but who needs that?! The longer you crochet, the more prone to skipping breaks and poor posture you are. The ache of those repetitive movements also becomes a stressor than can negatively impact your technique and body.
Start with calm intentions. This sounds vague and somewhat fantastical, but there's something to it. Your emotions physically manifest in your body; in fact, many chronic illnesses are caused by pent up stress (check out this Yale article on chronic stress). For crocheting, this can look like tense muscles. Tense muscles = tighter yarn tension = more pressure on hands and more intense twisting of wrists = more frequent injuries. Not to mention, changing tension throughout a project can alter the final project's size and texture unexpectedly. Mind you, stress can even be caused by positive things, i.e. being excited to get an order done or finish a project. So, get a lock on your mental state before you start crocheting and either even your mood out or learn to keep your body relaxed regardless. I think the latter of these 2 is more broadly beneficial.
This toolset will look different for everyone based on needs and goals, of course. This is my little mental/physical toolkit that has a place in my life due to experimentation and experience over the past 4 years. However, I think that that last point especially should be carried with you as you go.
Stress can appear in very different ways, and even constant excitement can be taxing on us. Rolling you shoulders back after a project can be a very physical reminder of that ache left by being weighed down. Taking a chance to check your thoughts and either relax out of them or mull them over as you go through your project can make you better at crocheting, and more stable in your day to day life.
For me, stress triggers my lupus. Crochet helps me destress…mostly lol. So you could say it’s saving my health, my sanity, and even my life.
Destress, people, both mentally and physically. Go take that nap.
