Paint & Paper

There is something deeply satisfying about standing back and admiring the results of our own DIY. Looking around, many of us can see examples of the work we have contributed to make our house a home. The shelves built in the kitchen, the painted the ceiling in the living area, the wonky tiles in the bathroom: not perfect, but our own work; something we contributed to and are proud of.

MAKING YOUR HOME YOUR OWN

DIY is important; we need to take a break from technology and get the creative juices flowing. There are frequent opportunities to do this, from the minute we move in and the flat-pack needs assembling to redecorating and adding to our home over the years. Doing these tasks is an opportunity to see how we can be more mindful when faced with challenges.

A manual task can give us a great deal of satisfaction. Taking care of your garden, or finally painting that wall the colour you want makes you feel accomplished and brings happiness. Carpentry, likewise, is a good example of working with natural materials and making your own solution. If you have nowhere to store books, you could try building your own shelving. The sensory experience of buying the wood, measuring your space and making it how you want. The end result is not particularly important, as long as it isn’t going to collapse; even if it’s a bit rough, seeing the fruits of your labour will add to the uniqueness of your home and make it yours.

The benefits to the mind of painting a wall are clear to see. The end results look pristine and fresh, and fill us with satisfaction every time we stop to look at our handiwork. The repetitive nature of brush or roller strokes up and down the wall is meditative in its own way. We are forced to pay attention if we want an even wall coverage; care needs to be taken to avoid dripping the paint everywhere and we need to set aside everything else or we’ll find the brush dried up when we return from whatever distracted us. Leaving the phone or doorbell to ring, we dedicate this time to getting the job done.

FINDING THE FLOW STATE

DIY projects are a chance to learn new skills. We often talk about ‘flow state’ when discussing mindfulness, and time spent in a flow can occur when you are focused on the task at hand. Writers and artists talk about flow state, but it can be also be achieved by something like wallpapering a room, becoming so focused on applying the paste and laying on the new paper neatly that everything else falls by the wayside. Upcycling an old piece of furniture is another way to get into flow: we can rescue something destined for landfill, which is good for the planet and feels like a positive thing to do, and then we settle into fixing it up. Yard sales and junk shops can be treasure troves for solid vintage furniture that requires a little skill to bring it back to life.

Sometimes it’s the simple things, the quick and easy projects, that have the biggest impact in the home. A lick of paint on the scuffed skirting board, touching up the grouting on the kitchen tiles, making a shoe rack – little touches make a big difference to the overall ambience. Notice how you feel when deciding to embark on a new project; are you excited, or does it make your heart sink? Why is it that you react as you do? Do you ever feel in a flow state, when you are so immersed in something that you don’t even notice time passing?

Getting into a manual activity is starting from nothing, progressing little by little and discovering new skills that we never knew we had. Provided we don’t undertake too difficult a project for our first task, and provided we get the right teaching or support, we can quickly recognise our ability to learn pretty much anything we turn our minds to. This gives us a sense of pride and productivity. Carrying out an absorbing, productive task gives us mindful focus, gifting ourselves a break from the worries of our lives.