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Change Becomes You

Life advice that will (actually) change your life. Curated stories from The Good Men Project.

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What Hands-on Hobbies Do for Mental Health

5 min readMay 22, 2025

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Photo credit: iStock

By Brian Comly

Sometimes, your brain just refuses to slow down. You’re not alone, we’ve all been there. But it’s not hard to see why that happens. Work, family, endless scrolling on social media… How could you not end up feeling overwhelmed, distracted, or burnt out? But here’s something I bet you don’t realize — the best way to clear your head isn’t to sit still and “relax.” It’s to use your hands.

Gardening, woodworking, fixing things around the house — it all gives your mind something to focus on. It pulls you out of your head and into the moment. Instead of overthinking, you’re doing and that’s a powerful shift. Activities of this kind can lower stress, improve your mood, and even help you sleep better. The downside? None that I can think of, honestly.

You don’t need expensive tools or a ton of time, you just need to start. In this article, I’ll show you exactly how hands-on hobbies do wonders for mental health and which ones I think might be good for you.

Let’s give your brain a break!

How Hands-On Hobbies Support Mental Health

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Change Becomes You
Change Becomes You

Published in Change Becomes You

Life advice that will (actually) change your life. Curated stories from The Good Men Project.

The Good Men Project
The Good Men Project

Written by The Good Men Project

We're having a conversation about the changing roles of men in the 21st century. Main site is https://goodmenproject.com Email us info@goodmenproject.com