This is not really a crochet question, but a creative one overall–have you ever become so anxious/pressured by some craft that you’ve performed that you just stopped?
And did you find a way to get back to it?
As a naturally anxious person, I have a lot of issues when it comes expectances from others, and I realize not all people suffer from this, but I’d really love to hear if this has happened to you and if you somehow overcame it?
Thank you and have a lovely evening/morning/day!
I have had anxiety attacks but the best thing to do is to put down the project until you have calmed down and can take a deep breath and relax, refocus and regroup yourself. The best thing I have found is to breathe deep for about 4 or 5 breaths.
Absolutely. I used to get anxious at the idea of disappointing others. It got very bad and culminated in a moment in my life when suddenly it dawned on me… that anxiety is a matter of perspective. Change your perspective, breathe properly, go for a walk when and if you feel it creeping in. This is my advice 
A change of perspective? That sounds interesting!
And going for walks do help 
The background to me asking this question is that I used to be an author; and I’ve completely given up on publishing a ready-made book (edited and as ready as it can be), leaving the series in the dust. Same with a webseries with 500+ pages that I took a hiatus from… 20 months ago.
I visited the site where I published the webnovel again today, created a new account and went to the story. Seeing the comments of “still waiting for the continuation” and “still not back?” and “we’ll keep on waiting” made my anxiety go a bit crazy 
For those who don’t know, November is known as NaNoWriMo in writing circles (national novel writing month) and that’s what made me remember what I’d left behind because of said anxiety.
A part of me says to either forget about it or to just bite the bullet and get into it, but why is it so hard? Haha.
So a different perspective might be what I really need 
Anyways, sorry for typing this super-long answer with info you didn’t ask for 
I don’t crochet much for ppl but when I was working on an orchid as a present for my mom’s birthday, I felt so pressured and overwhelmed trying to finish it. I did end up just wanting to frog it, but luckily my dad encouraged me to finish and told me that even if I didn’t finish it in time for her birthday, I could always give it to her as a present for another day, such as Christmas. I ended up getting it done in time and she loves it! I’m so glad my dad was there to change my mind, it really helps when you have someone there to ease your worries and encourage you!
For sure. I tend to get anxiety over making things for people specifically.
(heres some backstory for context)
I love making things for people. More so when Im not getting paid.
Yes, orders are nice but when Im unmotivated, I end up not enjoying the process of making the item because I would otherwise be making something else. But if it’s an order, I need to fulfill it. This isnt the case for every order I get, but sometimes.
I love making things for my family and friends, because I can just have fun with it and take my time a little more (Unless im on a tight schedule like right now for Christmas) Usually my friends and family love what I make them, and it just makes me so happy to see them happy.
But i do tend to get anxiety over the fear of if they DONT like what i make/give them. Which is usually never the case, its just my insecurities creeping in every so often. But its not normally something I believe is true, because I never get a negative reaction.
I think thats what would really stop me in terms of anxiety, but its never something I should let stop me.
If anyone has this too, I get it. Dont let that insecurity get the best of you though!
Ye, i have a lot of anxiety and its stopped me from crafts. Idk if you mean a particular project or just the entire craft completely, but I’ve had both.
At first my therapist recommended to force myself to do the thing I want to do for atleast 5 minutes a day, to try to get back into it, but it just caused me more anxiety.
For me personally, i find it best not to force the craft, sometimes the break is an hour, sometimes a day, months, years even. I get back into it when im inspired to try again, because forcing myself just makes it a chore.
Thats why i also dont make stuff for people when they ask me to, i explain that i cant and thats that. I only make gifts if i motivated myself to do it.
Idk why, but testing feels different to me, the due date is motivation to finish, but i keep the project so its still something for me. And if i know I’ve been feelin down i dont apply to many or any at all. (Thats why ive been doing only 1 at a time the past week ish)
Unless I am selling it I try to remind myself that I’m doing this for my happiness and enjoyment only and because I like to create these little things but that also limits me from sharing my work because I don’t want someone to judge it and tell me I did poorly and take the happiness away but sharing your stuff on crochet sights would probably help since other people experience this and would likely give you positive feedback
I just want to say you don’t have to forget it or bite the bullet, as someone who enjoys reading those comments are people who really enjoy your work and love what you do and are willing (from what I understand) to wait on your work so they can continue enjoying, you should do these things because you like to and something that helps me is when I see that it makes others happy so I just want to point out that based on those comments that your work makes people happy and they would love to have more from you
As someone with (diagnosed by a professional) severe social anxiety, it gets in the way all the time. I am working with a counselor for ways to ‘overcome’ it. But what tends to work is taking deep breaths and planning out what I’m going to say.
I’ve definitely had my times where I’ve been so anxious I won’t make the deadline that I kind of abandon other tasks but at the moment crochet has been helping me with anxiety
I’m kind of the same, moreso when I was younger! I’m glad your dad helped you overcome it It’s very nice that you managed to finish it in time too–sometimes we really need someone to say that “it’s okay to make it ready later”
Oh, wow. I’m exactly the same, throughout the whole post!
That is very true! But it is very easy to let it, just so you don’t need to feel anxious anymore. But to be honest, I get more anxious when people ask me to make things, especially if I’m getting paid for it, because they’re “risking” their hard-earned money “betting” on an item that they might not even like 
Is it an unreasonable way of thinking? Not completely, which is why this thought sticks
Yes, I’m trying my best! 
For me, I haven’t written a word of fiction for almost two years, so it’s definitely both!
I totally get that. That’s a common tip when it comes to writers’ block, actually! But yes, even that can cause anxiety sometimes.
That’s true, and it takes the fun out of it! I’ve tried forcing myself before, and sometimes it has actually broken down that feeling and made me feel like it was fun again, but some times it’s much harder than other times
Yes, that’s kind of the weird thing in the situation, isn’t it? Of course I’m happy about them, but I also feel an enormous pressure from them, making it harder to continue–because my brain is trying to tell me that “but what if you fail? You’ll disappoint them. And that’s something you don’t want, right? So it’s better to not do it in the first place.” Meanwhile, if someone leaves a nasty comment, it stings for short while, but then I think that maybe this just wasn’t for them.
The brain works in mysterious ways! Luckily I have a boyfriend to support me and push me when needed–he actually did that yesterday, just after I wrote this post. So we’ll have to see if I actually get back to it 
Thank you all for your comments and shared experiences!
I’m kind of sad I’m not the only one going through these sorts of feelings, because they can be horrible to deal with. That said, I am overwhelmed by all the kindness that exists within this community!
Being able to, or even wanting to share what is hard for you, in hopes that it might help another. That is truly amazing 
Thank you!
I had something similar but i didnt make the deadline. I get depressed during holidays and 2 years ago it was extra strong for some reason so i didnt get to finish presents for my parents.
They ofcourse understood but i was very upset about it. It was christmas themed so i didnt want to give it as a bday present or anything, but they were ready for the next year, and they were more than happy to wait.
Anxiety has a big impact on my life, so it stops me in a lot of things, but it’s mostly when it comes to talking to people. For creating things, I have this feeling of it’s not gunna be good enough so I don’t do it, but for some reason my brain kind of made an exception for crochet x)
But if it was about writing fiction like you, then I would definitely feel the same. I think it’s a very common thing to feel. It happens a lot that when I watch an interview of a popular author or movie director (or in any creative field), I love what they make and I think that they are a very confident person to have come this far, but they end up saying they are very scared to disappoint people, and have to fight this feeling of being illegitimate. But if everyone was letting their fears stop them, not many things would end up being created.
I think you should do whatever you feel like doing. I guess it’s not for no reason you started, so if you enjoy it, just do it. If people liked what you previously made, it obviously means you can do it good. I think if only a few people like what I make, it’s already a victory. I guess it can be very hard to receive negative opinions, especially if you worked hard on it, but in fact they are just opinions, and as people have various tastes, there will always be people who like it and people who don’t like it. We are all unperfect humans. Maybe it’s better to concentrate on people who liked it, and use negative reviews to improve (if they are pertinent of course).
I think we also tend to take it too seriously. Art is for fun, there is no big responsibilities. You are not a doctor, having people’s life on your shoulders, or anything like that (well I don’t know, maybe you are ^^'). If you fail, then people will just go and read something else. They could be disappointed, and so what ? It’s nothing dramatic. They could be disappointed in one thing you did, and love another thing you did. Your job is to create, and if you have done the best in your point of view, and had fun making it, this is great, and this is enough. Give what you have if you feel like doing so, and what happens next is never a serious risk. It is okay to fail. If people don’t like it, if it has flaws, or if they’re just not receptive to it, it’s okay. It’s the “risk” of this job, and I guess we all have to accept this aspect of it in order to create something.
That sounds so interesting! So your creativity doesn’t stop at crochet I think the ability to channel expression through creating new things is a rare gift. Creators are the engines of our world!
I’d look at those comments as a confirmation of your talent and capacity to be an engaging writer. Lots of people wish they even had an audience to start with! So it’s very positive to see there are people who care to check back your story. Being remembered is an achievement in itself! (Specially in this day and age of information saturation). Perhaps instead of saying “do it or not do it all”, take a moment to remember why you started writing that story altogether. You might find the thread again, which could lead to a reignited interest for continuing it or branch out into new derived ideas! Many musicians come up with new songs while producing older songs or rehearsing. You never know when creativity could spark, but one thing is for sure - it helps to engage into the ideas or creating. If for some reason the need to write doesn’t come to you right now, then ask yourself why and what your mind is asking for at present. Sometimes we need a bit of an internal soliloquy to find out what’s making us so anxious that stops us from creating. A good friend helps too! No matter how you decide to approach it and what perspective you decide to take, anxiety is counterproductive and affects our health, so whatever path you choose to take to channel that anxious energy into the right things, take it for yourself foremostly.
And no worries about the length of your reply! As you can see I can bore you with paragraphs too Since social media got popular, long replies have become rare (and kinda ostracised tbh), but sometimes you need more words to express 
This will stop you from creating!! Making mistakes is part of the process, never be afraid to fail - use failure as an opportunity for learning. Omg I can’t begin to tell you how MUCH changing to this attitude helped me. I used to think similarly and it brought me zero, no creations, just fear! And you know what? There will always be someone you will disappoint. Plain and simple. So get creating and don’t think about what they’ll think. Best to fail but creating, than not creating at all 
