Today’s crochet mandala for the Mandalas for Marinke project come to us from Caroline of Happy Thimble.
Caroline shares,
“I’m a crafting stay at home mum. I knit, crochet and sew and like and to share my makes on my blog.
She adds on Instagram,
“Grew up by the coast in Wales, now living a crafty life in south east England, but my heart belongs to Wales!”
And on Ravelry we learn that she lives with her “gorgeous husband and beautiful daughter”.
She added in her note (which came on a beautiful sunny card),
As someone who has suffered from bouts of depression and found solace in crafts, I felt compelled to take part and send you my own Mandala for Marinke.
For today’s depression awareness portion of the project, I wanted to share this recent research:
“For some severely obese patients, a new study hints that bariatric surgery might potentially do good for both body and mind. Patients seeking and undergoing such weight-loss procedures were more likely to suffer from depression and binge-eating than the general population — but those with depression often saw their mental health improve after surgery, a new UCLA-led paper shows.” – source
David Engstrom, PhD, illuminates a bit more about the relationship between obesity and depression:
“What researchers know, and most people assume, is that individuals with excess weight often suffer from depression. What is less clear is which comes first. Could the effects of being seriously overweight directly lead to depression, or does depression itself cause excess weight gain in the first place? Probably, the answers are “yes” and “yes,” and it may not matter in any practical sense. Depression and weight gain go hand-in-hand.”
Beth W. Orenstein shares the story of one man, David Clark, who went from obesity and depression to becoming a relatively happy ultra marathon runner.
These crochet mandalas are part of the Mandalas for Marinke project. You can see all Mandalas for Marinke posts here.