This is a collaborative post: College students are not having an easy go of it these days. The reasons are multifold, but the stress is seemingly omnipresent on campuses throughout the country.
There’s no easy fix for the crisis. But little habit adjustments can go a long way toward restoring a sense of much-needed calm. Today, we are homing in on the benefits of breaking out the craft tools and using art as something of a meditative practice, a creative outlet that can serve as a major tool in the battle against the plague of unease that’s sweeping through our higher-learning institutions.
These are not craft ideas for art majors. Not even close. These are simple craft ideas tailored for students who simply need a break from the stress of college life. They don’t require elaborate materials and can easily be done in the limited space of a cramped dorm room.
Again, we aren’t arguing that crafting alone is the fix for the stress bearing down on an entire generation of college students. But these ideas can absolutely bring a reprieve from the stress and anxiety. And little moments of Zen can beget additional moments of Zen. It’s all about taking the necessary steps one at a time.
So, I invite you to check out a selection of products for effective stress management for college students.
Adult Coloring Books
You’ve probably caught wind of this trend by now, but adult coloring books are absolutely all the rage. They provide a simple way to escape the grind and detach from technology. They are so widely regarded as mentally beneficial creative outlets that esteemed institutions such as the Cleveland Clinic have taken note. In this piece on the Clinic’s website, psychologist Scott M. Bea extols the virtues of adult coloring, saying that it “requires modest attention focused outside of self-awareness.” He calls the practice “a simple activity that takes us outside ourselves.”
Source: ABO PHOTOGRAPHY/ Shutterstock.com
And what Bea is describing is precisely what we are going for with these calming craft recommendations. This list of 20 popular adult coloring books is a great entryway into this restorative creative outlet.
Paint by Numbers
Similar to adult coloring books, paint by numbers kits for adults have grown in popularity in recent years. If there is additional benefit here beyond what coloring provides, it likely comes from the ritual of readying your paints and then cleaning up when the session is through. It provides slightly greater opportunity to detach from the all-consuming stress.
Some students may prefer coloring for the simplicity. But for those who like it, painting by numbers provides a slightly greater reprieve from the tumult of college life. The by-the-numbers component also creates clear goals and parameters, which serve to reduce stress in ways that free painting may not.
Magazine Collage Art
Sometimes, we need a good reminder that life is supposed to be fun. When we are rushing to achieve, achieve, achieve, we often get swallowed up by what we are supposed to become. When that happens, we let outside expectations dictate our path. It should go without saying that stress is sure to follow. Pop is to blame for much of this. This fun craft is designed to turn pop culture on its ear.
Here, we encourage our stressed out college kids to gather magazines, ads and other depictions of pop culture perfection. And then, all we are gonna do is snip these serious and beautiful people from their ideal settings and relocate them elsewhere. Put models’ duck-faced heads on football players’ bodies. Snip a pic of Gisele’s face and paste it on Ronald McDonald’s silly frame. You get the idea. The goal is pure goofiness.
What we are intending to do with this craft exercise is upend the immense pressure of societal expectation by turning the ideals of beauty, wealth, etc. into silly little mismatched creations. This practice serves as an invaluable reminder that life is easiest to navigate when there’s a little bit of silliness and mirth at your side.
To get started on some fun collage art, you’ll need a slew of magazines (recycling bins around campus are great allies here), a cutting mat, craft scissors and glue.
Knitting a Path Toward Inner Tranquility
Knitting isn’t for everyone, and even those who are drawn to it may find that projects progress slowly. So having your tools stashed in a functional knitting needle organizer can make the process more seamless and inviting.
BUT when it comes down to it, knitting may provide more mental health benefits than just about any other craft known to man. Think that’s an exaggeration? Well, the bold claim is backed up by extensive research, and could anything be more persuasive to your serious college student than claims backed by study after study?
Source: goffkein.pro/ Shutterstock.com
Dedicated knitters are able to immerse themselves into highly beneficial flow states, the benefits of which extend well beyond when the knitters set their needles aside.
Jigsaw Puzzles and Mental Health
It can be argued that jigsaw puzzling falls outside the realm of crafting. But the mental health benefits are undeniable. Like the other items on this list, puzzling serves to center those in desperate need of a calming influence.
Jigsaw puzzles are also great group activities, which serve to combat stress-inducing loneliness that also plagues too many college students.