In 2025, Saudi Arabia, represented by the Ministry of Culture, has declared this year the “Year of Handicrafts,” an initiative aimed at preserving heritage, stimulating the creative economy, and elevating the value of craft skills in society.
Yet behind these stated objectives lies another benefit of equal importance, though not explicitly mentioned: the profound impact of crafts on mental health.
Craft goes beyond the notion of production. It is a distinct mental state in which the inner self is reordered and feelings such as focus, calm, and contentment are restored. These elements have become rare in today’s fast-paced lifestyle.
Mashael Faqih, Executive Director of the Professional Crafts Association (supervised by the Ministry of Culture), told Mansooj that handicraft has become a genuine tool for recovery. From her daily work with artisans, she affirms that many have shared personal experiences in which returning to handwork helped them overcome periods of anxiety, loss of passion, and even grief. For them, craft became a safe space for expression and a true source of regaining a sense of worth
Mashael Faqih – Executive Director of the Professional Crafts Association, under the supervision of the Ministry of Culture
This psychological dimension of crafts is also confirmed by scientific research. In 2013, a British study showed that 74% of participants felt relaxed and mentally soothed after knitting. They also reported reduced stress, fewer distractions, and even improvements in eating habits.
Harvard University physician Herbert Benson explained this phenomenon by noting that repetitive, rhythmical movements, such as sewing or embroidery, induce a meditative-like state. This increases mental focus and lowers cortisol, the stress hormone.
In 2016, a study from the University of Otago in New Zealand found that engaging in creative manual activities such as knitting, painting, or writing was associated with heightened positive emotions the very next day. Likewise, a 2020 paper in the journal Arts & Health showed that sewing improved sleep quality and reduced anxiety, particularly during the COVID-19 pandemic, when handicrafts emerged as an effective form of psychological coping.
There is also a neurological explanation. Neuroscience has established that using more than one sense at the same time, such as touch and visual focus, enhances mindfulness. It also extends the brain’s capacity for sustained attention without distraction. Attention has become a scarce currency in our time; the rapid consumption of information through screens has eroded patience, weakened focus, and exhausted the mind. In this context, handicrafts offer a kind of psychological and cognitive therapy for a society burdened by instant stimuli and constant busyness.
A powerful personal story shared by a participant named Naseelah highlights this dimension. After experiencing pottery-making, she said:
“Despite my hesitation, I decided to try. The moment I touched the clay was a moment of true belonging, as if I had returned to something original within myself. With each piece I shaped, I felt as though I was repairing something inside me.”
At the end of the day, when a person looks at a piece they have sewn by hand or embroidery completed with thread and needle, it stands as a quiet reminder that we are capable of creating beauty from simplicity and meaning from silence. In a fast, fragmented digital world where the sense of touch and focus fades, this kind of connection with the self, with material, and with time becomes rarer and more valuable.
For this reason, when we speak of supporting handicrafts, we are not only evoking aspects of heritage or the creative economy but also touching on the essence of mental well-being. Today, craft has become a way to stay connected in a world that does not rest
This article is supported by the King Abdulaziz Center for World Culture (Ithra) and the Cultural Development Fund as part of the #Ithra_Arabic_Content_Initiative.
