Cleaning, organization, maintenance, and construction projects offer tangible benefits like saving time and money and making your surroundings more pleasant and efficient—those are obvious. But what about the intangible benefits these chores provide? DIY projects can lift your mood and expand your mind in a number of ways. Here’s how.
Manual labor provides pleasures that other work does not. There’s a tactile, primal pleasure in surveying the work of your hands, whether that’s a freshly tilled garden or a newly installed closet system. As many daily lives become more automated, manual labor satiates the need to see tangible proof of your effort.
Solving problems provides a greater understanding and a sense of control. An unfamiliar DIY task may feel like a brainteaser at first. Frustration rises at not knowing the answer or how to proceed, but you’re wired to work through that frustration until you find an answer. In his book The Ravenous Brain: How the New Science of Consciousness Explains Our Insatiable Search for Meaning, author and neuroscientist Daniel Bor notes how interesting it is that humans do things like sudoku and crossword puzzles as recreation. His theory is that humankind has an unquenchable appetite for information and a deep need for pattern finding. Learning to solve a DIY problem feeds that elemental human desire to both understand and control your world.
Learning new skills boosts feelings of self-worth. Self-confidence is tied to how capable you feel. You gain proficiency by attempting and completing DIY tasks. You feel a sense of accomplishment when you see a problem, diagnose it, research the solution, and execute the fix yourself. This process provides a positive feedback loop. You feel good because you accomplished what you set out to do, and you feel more capable because you know you can do it again.
Practice makes perfect. The more DIY projects you complete, the stronger your skills become. For example, one day you notice that your kitchen faucet is leaking. You research the problem and discover the simple fix is replacing a washer. Six months later, you notice a small leak beneath the sink. You find a tiny crack in one section of pipe, so you replace it. These small fixes add to your store of knowledge and make you more familiar with how plumbing systems work. As you gain knowledge through these small fixes, you will feel more confident tackling even bigger repairs.
When you DIY, you can create something truly unique. Your first projects might be simple, such as fixing a leaky toilet or painting a piece of unfinished furniture. You may become more adventurous as your skills expand. Perhaps you want to build your own dining room table or landscape your backyard. Projects built from scratch help you craft one-of-a-kind creations. You get to add your personality and perhaps even create an heirloom piece that can be handed down for generations to come.
If you tend to turn to the Internet for solutions but just can’t find what you need, your next stop may be the local hardware store where you seek mentoring from the proprietor. This interaction not only helps build a new relationship but also encourages you to buy local and creates a stronger tie to your community. If you tackle an isolated project, like building your own coffee table, it might spark a deeper interest in woodworking. That hobby may lead you to a local meetup of people with similar pastimes and could eventually lead to picking up a helpful and even lucrative hobby. The next time you have a simple household project to tackle, consider taking the DIY route. It can expand your wallet and your mind.
MCM Collective
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Whether you're looking to renovate a home or need help with interior design, their team can guide you through the process, ensuring you get the best results without the hassle of a DIY project. With their expertise, you can focus on finding the perfect property while they handle the details of design and construction, making your real estate experience seamless and enjoyable.
