Recently,I read an article by Anthony Smith about Depression, he suggested that tying flies may help you .  Many tiers have considered that there may be something more than just a hobby and more than a pleasant distraction.  Many of our veterans have problems when exiting the military now, after a twenty year war. There are others who have health or metal problems might benefit from tying flies or fly fishing.  The current treatment is drugs. I have several friends that have post traumatic stress and other metal problems caused by the environment that we were exposed to.  There are others that might benefit from fly tying.  Despite therapy and anti-anxiety medication, and being num to the world wasn’t what I wanted.  I know I still have problems: however, fly fishing and fly tying has helped me heal.

Dr. lambert’s, neuro science physician; her study revealed that people are hard-wired for rewards gained by fine-motor activity. She explained the in the middle of the 20th century, people that were born during this time period were 10 times more likely to suffer a major depressive episode, than people born in during the first third who would have encountered hardships of the Great Depression. Her study stated that people are effort driven by rewards.  She related that motor activity helps us increase our perception of control over our environment.

The next time you’re tying a flies, even if it is a batch of size 30 dry flies, and it's driving you nuts, it's doing you more good than bad.  Reason is that you are distracting yourself from your problems, and physiologically preventing it from being worse than it has to bee.  It helped me while I was going through two years of cancer treatment. The doctors were pleasantly surprised that I made through the treatment and have been cancer free for four years. The moral is, please teach your friends to tie and fly fish.  You are helping them more than you think.

( I hope this wasn't poorly written)

Mike