Wood carving and sculpting have been one of the prime occupations and a keen area of interest of the people for ages. It received great attention and was highly praised during the Middles Ages, where its popularity had taken deep roots. This was due to the rulers’ and conquerors’ leading interests in pieces carved out of wood.
It is a form of art that requires both i.e. a profound sense of imagination and hard work. It takes both the mind and body to work side by side in synchronism. This meaningful connection helps the carver to relieve any kind of mental stress or anxiety. It requires an immense amount of focus, especially when working on intricate pieces. This focus diverts the mind in ways that have been found to be very helpful when relieving the pressure and anxiety.
Wood carving is one of the most beautiful occupations or hobbies that makes the person to get thoroughly engaged where one forgets about all the worldly sorrows, griefs and worries. It is similar to painting in a sort. The designs created are extremely satisfying which are naturally known to ease the brain. It is highly recommended as a cheerful activity at old homes as a mental therapy.
Besides the product, in the end, carving itself is a very peaceful and relaxing process, with every edge being carved you are one step closer to creating something beautiful. The very scent of wood helps one connect with nature. Especially, during such times where modern technology has got us so involved with it, we often forget about what the body and soul need. People end up spending hours and hours scrolling. The normal face to face conversation, where one could actually have merely become obsolete. We are only a text away even when thousands of kilometers apart, but the reality is that we feel more depressed and lonelier than we ever did.
We often forget that our mere human hands possess an inherent characteristic i.e. to create. It is only natural that when our hands work in synchronism to our mind, to create something we feel a surge of positive emotions. It is just like a healing process.
When it comes to mental illness, it is often known to us that such people find it extremely difficult to get involved into reality and manage the daily life and routine activities. With carving, this merging action helps establish focus and directs the mind to be able to process things and develop a sense of connection with the surrounding environment.
A study titled, A phenomenological study of the therapeutic benefits of Woodcarving, which was published by Graeme Hamilton suggests that when people were involved with wood carving activity, generally the participants expressed it as a relaxing and uplifting activity. It is one of the activities that can be easily conducted and people from all sorts of backgrounds and cultures eventually end up feeling connected, because wood carving has been a part of many cultures, having varying patterns. So, in this way nobody feels left out.
Carving holds immense potential when it comes to therapeutic and healing capacities. It is a process in which the outcome is very visible and real. All the effort and time invested leads to something beautiful. It can be said as a healing road that leads to a happy ending. So, it is no doubt extremely helpful for the mind and soul alike and can establish focus.
