Five Ways Crafts Can Support A Smooth Menopause

An estimated 59% of women have taken time off work due to menopausal issues. Some 51% have reduced their working hours due to symptoms, and 73% of women report that menopause plays a role in their divorce so it’s crucial that people begin to open up about these topics.

So authors and craft-lovers Jenni Smith and Kay Walsh are on a mission to empower women through their menopause journey by making sure people talk about the topic openly and honestly, and explore the opportunities of using crafts to ease and support symptoms. Their new book, Menopause Makes (out today – 14th March – published by Search Press) shares ten designs to help women through each menopause stage, with inspirational quotes for support and guidance. 

Here, Jenni and Kay share five ways that crafts can support a smooth menopause experience. 

Community

With 1 billion women across the world having entered, or about to enter, menopause by the year 2030, there are many new potential makers for you to connect with, either in person or virtually.

You will be surprised how many women do craft but maybe just don’t talk about it, and yet stitching is an activity which can be shared by people of all social and cultural backgrounds, binding them together with common interests. 

For generations women have quilted around a frame or attended sewing bees, and we can guarantee it wasn’t just for the outcome of the final project!  These are the times, when your hands are busy but your mind is at ease, to talk about worries, cares and everything in between. Bring on the random conversations and laughter!

The friends that you make at this stage in life can provide crucial support networks, outside of the spheres of work and family ,when you may well be being pulled in all directions (ageing parents and demanding teenagers to name just a couple). Your sewing friends will become your new saviours.

Creativity

It’s very easy to automatically say in conversation that you are not a creative person.  You may well have had a bad experience at school, breaking a needle on a sewing machine or stitching wonky lines in Needlework.  However, you are a woman with a good number of years of experience at choosing clothes to wear, styling interiors and soaking up culture, all of which are hugely creative endeavours.  Channel that positivity into selecting fabrics which make you smile, colours that you love and get sewing.

Menopause Makes has projects for yourself, and your home, meaning the creative possibilities are endless.  Menopause can affect your mood and motivation but forget about the past and focus on how this hobby can help you lead a more creative life and surround yourself with beautiful handmade things.

Calm

The magic of sewing is that it really can help you slow down enough to at least acknowledge the present moment and then plan how to take the next step forward – one stitch at a time.

Mid-life brings many challenges but throw menopausal symptoms into the mix and stress levels can rise significantly.  This can manifest in a busy mind that can’t switch off, and may also lead to overwhelm or loss of self-control.  Numerous studies have shown that sewing is a mindful activity.  As you focus on each stitch, you become absorbed in the moment and slow down.  Once immersed in this flow of creativity, you are more likely to process stressful thoughts in an effective way.

Hand sewing projects (like the log cabin placemats) are very portable and therefore allow you to find creative respite wherever you may need it – during a break at work, in the waiting room or on the train.

Self-Care

A decline in oestrogen levels can affect brain function and a very common symptom of the menopause is brain fog.  Why not tackle this symptom by exercising your brain with some basic patchwork sills.  The simple repetition involved in making quilt blocks is a good way not only to focus the brain, but to find a little calm and joy too.

The book includes projects which are perfect for pampering yourself; a zipped potions pouch for all your extra beauty needs, an eye-mask to combat insomnia and feel luxurious against your skin and a beautifully soft relaxation blanket to name but a few.

We love the mantra “the only place housework comes before needlework is in the dictionary”! and it has served us well on our menopausal journey so far.

Confidence

As children, we often try out new skills without fear or being too hard on ourselves in relation to the end result.  This kind of playfulness sparks joy but is easily lost as the years tick by.  If you are feeling tired, stressed or just a little worn down it is much easier to put off an activity than make a meaningful start.  However, nothing beats the feeling of saying “I made this myself”, and even completing the simplest sewing project will boost your confidence.  Many of the projects in Menopause Makes are also perfect as gifts, and when you present something hand-made with love and care to friends or family, it also increases your feeling of self-worth – it’s a win-win situation!

We believe that mid-life and menopause is the perfect time to slowly nurture a new craft, making with your hands is incredibly rewarding and we have witnessed first-hand how wonderfully happy it can make women feel for all these different reasons.  There is no shame in unpicking a stitch line or two; working at your pace and each mistake is a lesson learned. We believe in you, you just have to believe in yourself!