How Jewelry Making Can Help Your Health

Jewelry making is a wonderful activity for people of any age. Stringing beads can relieve stress in burned-out professionals, and it can strengthen agility in seniors' hands. Little is needed, just some string, beads and lots of creativity. You might gain self confidence, stimulate a bored mind and socialize with people you would not otherwise meet.

Lowered Stress Levels

Jewelry making is therapeutic. It eases the mind of stress and distracts the individual with a chain reaction of brain stimulants that can even calm down children who suffer from ADD (attention deficit disorder) or ADHD (attention deficit hyperactivity disorder). Ana Bosch, a seed bead jewelry designer from San Antonio, Texas, says that stringing beads and designing jewelry is a great stress reliever and gives a sense of serenity.

Increased Brain Stimulation

Maintaining brain function is important, especially as a person grows older. Activities that maintain proper brain stimulation, such as jewelry making, have been shown to lower the risk of cognitive impairment in seniors. This study, which was part of a Rush Memory and Aging Project conducted in Chicago, showed that activities designed to stimulate brain function also slowed cognitive function decline, which is the cause of disorders such as dementia and Alzheimer's disease.

Improved Social Skills

While being an independent worker can be beneficial, group efforts can help build social skills that lead to increased confidence. An individual who engages in group activities learns how to relate to others and form a bond that in many cases lasts long after the activity ends. Jewelry classes are effective in getting people together to express themselves in a creative way while engaging in conversation and helping each other to push the creative threshold. It also brings people together in a common goal: to create a wonderful piece of art. A senior man in an art making group study in Brooklyn said jewelry making saved his marriage. A woman in that same study said it was the first time she had viewed herself as an artist and not just a worker.

Improved Creativity

Making jewelry is a hands-on activity that calls for as much creativity as it does physical ability. Making a piece of jewelry includes first deciding on what to make and then creating a design from such things as metal and beads. The more a person creates jewelry, the more creative they become in making new pieces. Also, making jewelry challenges the mind to make more difficult pieces from different materials. For example, it is very common for a person to start stringing beads on nylon or tiger tail and end up with more complex metal forged jewelry. The creative process evolves, and so does the crafter.

Improved Physical Ability

Jewelry making is a great tool for physical therapy in patients with hand injuries or disorders such as carpel tunnel syndrome. While seniors may not be able to make jewelry with fine threads or small beads, they should be able to use thicker thread and larger beads. Using their hands can help keep their fingers agile. Jewelry making is not only therapeutic for seniors, it can help develop grandchildren's hand strength and dexterity.