This Hobby Saved My Life

My grandma had died less than two years before, I was in a terrible narcissistic relationship, and I was not satisfied with my job at the time. 

I felt like a loser.

Life just seemed...dull. I was grieving, and the person I looked to for help kinda hated me. 

I was on my own. 

But that was no excuse for me to give up. It just meant I had to grieve alone, and I had to toughen up somehow...but how?

I felt so useless.

Well, one day I came across an advertisement for candles. I somewhat knew the person who was selling these candles, but I was too cheap to pay for them--in hindsight, they were pretty affordable.

I also think I had a desire to create the candles myself. I've always been a DIY person. It was just in me to create something--whether that was a poem or a freshly squeezed cup of lemonade. 

So what did I do? 

I invested in my first candle kit.

Oh my god. It was terrible. That kit was so bad, but I'd bought it from Amazon, so fair enough.

Because I'm stubborn, I wasn't quick to give up. I invested more money in it by buying wax, jars, wicks, wick adhesives, and fragrance oils from Lonestar Candle Supply. I also watched a ridiculous number of videos on YouTube. 

I was so focused, I didn't have nearly as much time to cry about my grandma or grieve my relationship. I still had my moments, but I found power in creation.

So, yeah, creating candles saved me--maybe not completely, but enough. It gave me purpose and a goal, and also the sweet scent of a perfectly crafted candle.

Have you discovered therapy by creating something?