How Crafting With Our Dogs Helps Regulate Our Nervous System

finding ways to stay offline + making things with my hands

I started a knitting class this fall — a step by step sweater. A bit ambitious for someone who has basically only made scarves their mom started for them in high school.

Although just about every row has something suspicious going on, I realized that making something with y hands while hanging out with my dog was justa bout the best way I could be spending my time right now.

And I wanted to learn more about whyyyyyy.

hand to brain connection

I learned that the hand to brain connection while working on a little craft calms the brain’s fear and stress center, similar to touching the different textures of our dogs — fur, ears, wet nose, paws, etc.

This provides a sensory anchor that forces our mind to process external, safe physical data.

rhythm, baby

Similar to the rhythmic and predictable motion of petting our dog, focusing on a creative project with rhythm is similar to our heartbea and natural beating patterns; signaling a shift for our nervous system from fight or flight to rest and digest.

it’s all somatic

Crafting lets the nervous system process the heavy emotions our body is already storing without having to use language.

Sort of like how sitting next to a calm dog naturally syncs our heart rate with theirs and pulls our body out of a fixated state.

physical frame

The safe containment of working on something within a physical limitation offers a sense of predictability. A physical limitation offers a sense of predictability. Our dogs do the same thing for us by being an external stabilizer.

This offers a path for our nervous system to slooooow down.

And if nothing else, it proves a sense of accomplishment; suspicious knitting rows and all.