Crafting

There’s some evidence that playing the video game Tetris in the aftermath of a traumatic experience can help prevent the development (or reduce the impacts) of consequent PTSD.

The data on this is pretty limited, but the idea is that because Tetris (a game in which you rotate random, falling blocks so that they fit into the proper slots at the bottom of the screen) increases hippocampal volume, which has been associated with enhanced PTSD treatment efficacy.

There’s also a chance playing this game simply acts as a cognitive interference task or brain-training intervention—two other mechanisms that have been associated with a reduction in PTSD symptoms, but which accomplish that end via different routes.

Whatever the specifics, playing this game seems to help folks who might otherwise suffer (or suffer more) from a disorder that can cause debilitating flashbacks, nightmares, anxiety, and thoughts that uncontrollably wander back to the triggering event.

Interestingly, other sorts of mundane-seeming, non-therapeutic and hobbyist activities have also been shown to increase health outcomes in folks suffering from some types of mental health disorder, in addition to age-related cognitive decline.

Crafting activities like knitting, for instance, have been shown to help ease anxiety, depression, and chronic pain in those who practice it regularly.

Doing crossword puzzles, painting, and sculpting also seem to fall into this category of potentially therapeutic activities.

Research is scattered on this, as this covers a broad range of topics, but the available data generally suggest that activities that activate the brain’s reward system, those that promote a relaxation response, and those that help preserve cognitive function may all provide physical and mental health benefits, while also increasing the practitioner’s sense of overall well-being.

These impacts are especially well-documented in older people, in part because older age cohorts are more likely to succumb to cognitive decline and the distinctions (between those who engage in such activities and those who do not) are easier to track; the average rate of decline in this population is known, while the same isn’t true in younger people (even those who suffer from PTSD or similar issues).

This category of activities is strongly correlated with higher-levels of subjective well-being across a range of age groups, though, and one theory as to why this might be the case is that folks who engage in such activities also tend to have richer social lives (predicated on a shared experience or interest), and another is that the act of engaging in knitting, painting, etc are themselves meditative, granting benefits similar to those enjoyed by habitual meditators.

While focused therapies and practices have been shown to provide all sorts of benefits for those suffering from post-traumatic mental health issues and to prevent cognitive decline, then, there’s reason to believe some of the same benefits might be gleaned from hobbies and artistic practices—though for those suffering from trauma in particular, the combination of therapy and engaging in hobbies has been shown to be better than either one, individually.