ECHINUS STONE ACADEMY
Member of
The Stonemasons' Guild of St. Stephen
Well Being and Social Prescribing
As part of our social prescribing, community referral courses we offer a twelve week (three hour a week) stone carving workshop at Breakheart Quarry, Dursley and Oakraven Field Centre, Mitcheldean. They are on Tuesday and Wednesdays mornings respectively and last for three hours. At the same times and venues we offer six week one day a week course which last for 7 hours.
Working and learning within a craft tradition and culture can ease and help prevent subclinical depression in trades and craftspeople but also hobbyists as I have come to understand through the feedback I receive from my workshops with the public.
For instance here is an example of some feedback shared with me by a man from my over 50’s group.
“.....have been surprised at what I can achieve under expert mentoring - and the benefits go well beyond a developing skill set. For me there has been a significant mental health benefit. This has become a great aid to combating the depression that came with retirement and I look forward to my weekly session in the workshop.”
The prevalent belief in Western cultures is that aging necessitates a deceleration in our activities and a transition toward retirement. However, as emphasized by Daniel E. Lieberman, a renowned evolutionary biologist at Harvard, the opposite must be our guiding principle. It is precisely as we age that maintaining physical activity becomes crucial.
The lesson here for adults aged 50 and above is to strive for a minimum of 150 minutes of moderate-intensity activities, such as brisk walking, spread over a week. This translates to, for instance, 30 minutes a day for five days. Additionally, incorporating muscle-strengthening exercises into their routine at least two days a week is recommended.
There is ample evidence to suggest that regular exercise can result in the reversal of age-related decline in the hippocampus, a vital brain region for learning, memory, and cognitive functions. Exercise has demonstrated positive influence on cognitive abilities, slowed down cognitive aging, and even reduced the risks of Alzheimer's disease and other forms of dementia.
It's important to recognize the role of creativity and social interactions during middle and old age. Those who participated in craft-based activities were found to be 45% less likely to develop mild cognitive impairment (MCI). Furthermore, social interactions combined with creativity during these life stages were associated with a 55% decreased risk of MCI.
The neurotransmitter dopamine, linked with pleasure, reward, and motivation, plays a significant role in fostering creativity. Elevated dopamine levels in the striatum, a brain region, can enhance cognitive flexibility and divergent thinking.
One of the key lessons to remember is the importance of strength and muscle mass for a long and healthy life. As Canadian-American physician Peter Attia, renowned for his work in longevity medicine, points out, strength is about using muscle to generate force. “If you aspire to enjoy playing with your great-grandchildren, prioritizing muscle mass is essential. After all, no one in their nineties has ever wished for less muscle.”
We hold weekly workshops at Breakheart Quarry, Dursley and Oakraven Field Centre, Mitcheldean and other venues but for group bookings we can come to you.
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