Should you hire someone or DIY? Should you buy it or DIY? Here are just a few reasons why you should do it yourself? Here are surprising benefits of DIY projects!
There are obvious benefits of doing something with your own hands. Firstly, it’s cheaper, and you can create something as you imagined it. You don’t have to hire someone, pay them and then realize that you are not necessarily happy with the final product, sometimes you can find the right solutions but sometimes a DYI project will give you more satisfaction. These are the obvious benefits. However, there are many benefits of DIY that are related to your wellbeing.
The first reason is DIY projects make you happy. If you are knitting a scarf that you plan to give someone for their birthday or you are building a robot, getting your hands dirty can boost your mood, not only in the short-term but in the long run as well. While working on your own project, you can experience a deep sense of meaning, pleasure, and satisfaction. These days we rarely do something with our own hands. The benefits are not only short-term benefits. A study in 2016 had 600 participants keep a diary of their mood and creative activities. Researchers found that participating in a creative activity can lead to higher levels of happiness and great sense of meaning, not only for that day but for the following days as well.
Benefits of DIY Projects
Another reason why you should choose DIY over buying is reducing stress levels. The DIY activity can have meditative effects which can lead to deep concentration and a higher level of awareness. This can have a great effect on the stress responses, such as a reduction in blood pressure, slower respiration, and reduction in heart rate. Activity such as gardening can lead to a decrease in the stress hormone cortisol and boost in mood. Also, creative work can affect the brain in a way that makes new connections which are related to stress resistance.
Talking about making new connections, we also have one related benefit and that’s sharpening your mind. When it comes to our brain, “use it or lose it” really applies. Exercising all of your senses, challenging your brain when you pick up a new skill can help you stay away from cognitive decline that might happen as you age. Engaging in new creative activities is associated with the decrease of cognitive impairments to the same degree as playing games and reading.
Another great benefit of DIY is that you tend to value more something that you created with your own hands when you compare it with something you just bought. The phenomenon known as the IKEA effect is when people treasure an item more if they’ve put it together. You will value something more that you have created with your own hands because it has sentimental value not only financial value. Things we create don’t only have a functional purpose but they remind us of the time and love we put in creating it.
The things we create have personal value which can boost our sense of self. The feeling of strength and competence leads people to put greater value in the things they create. Whether it’s putting paint to canvas or assembling a bookcase, making something with your own hands is something that you are proud of.
Next time you feel like hiring someone, think about doing it yourself and think about all the great benefits that you can achieve for your wellbeing.
