Crocheting for better well-being

In an interview with dvm360, Cara Steele, DVM, DACVIM (SAIM), shared her hobby outside of work: crocheting. She explains how she got started and how it has helped her take a mental break from the stress of work. Learn Dr Steele's tips for beginners interested in learning to crochet and get a glimpse at some of her completed projects.

Get to know Steele better in this exclusive dvm360 profile celebrating her as our Veterinary Heroes winner for Internal Medicine.

The following is a partial transcript of the video.

Cara Steele, DVM, DACVIM (SAIM): So this was a pandemic hobby for me. It was something I actually always wanted to learn how to do, but I was always kind of intimidated to take it up. And then when lockdown happened, and I suddenly found myself with a lot of extra free time, I decided to actually bite the bullet.

I find it very relaxing. It's one of those things that's like repetitive enough that I can focus on that and not have to think about other things. It's almost like a meditative hobby. So it helps a lot with things like relaxation and disconnecting. Especially if I've had a particularly stressful week or whatever it is.

I tend to stress about things outside of work and think about cases and things like that. And so it's a really good way for me to kind of turn that off and let that go. I find that, after I've been crocheting for a while, it's so much easier to then not let my brain go back to that place. So it really has helped a lot with the sort of overthinking aspect of how my brain works.