Health Benefits of Crafting...

.....Particularly knitting (and I'm sure crocheting as well)! 

I have found that knitting helps me come to my center. When I am stressed or sad and I work on a project I feel as though everything is right again or at least something is right. I can control something in my life and that is empowering for me. As a mother of four (14, 11, 7, 5), I feel I've lost a little control of my household. I'm at the mercy of their extra-curricular activities and their varying moods. I can retreat to my room to knit for a while and when my kids need me I can easily put it down knowing that what I control is there waiting for me. It's an exercise to help me prepare for my day and a reward at the end of it.
It's nice to know that my craft helps me in my life now and the future as described in an article that  Lion Brand posted on facebook from The Washington Post. Might crafts such as knitting offer long term-health benefits? Check it out, it's a great read.

What is your craft and how it help you?