DIY for the Soul: How Building Floating Shelves Helped Me Quiet My Brain (and Why Woodworking Might Do the Same for You)
The case for DIY as therapy
There’s something quietly radical about making things with your hands again. When your life mostly happens on a screen, building something tangible - even slightly crooked - can feel like hitting reset on your nervous system.
DIY doesn’t have to mean renovating your kitchen or buying a table saw. It can be small. Manageable. Human-sized. A project you can actually finish. For me, it started with a simple pair of floating shelves.
The calm hidden in chaos
That weekend, I wasn’t trying to change my life. I just wanted to stop scrolling. Two hours later, I was standing in the garage surrounded by wood shavings, music playing, brain quiet. There’s something about measuring, sanding, and assembling that pulls your mind back into your body.
It’s not really about the shelves. It’s about reclaiming a bit of creative control, reminding yourself you can still make something from nothing.
If you’ve never built anything before, woodworking is surprisingly beginner-friendly when you have the right plans. That’s the secret: good plans take out the guesswork so you can focus on the part that matters - the doing.
Mini Project: Simple Floating Shelves
What you’ll need:
Two 1x8 pine boards (or whatever wood fits your vibe)
A drill + screws
Sandpaper or sander
Wood stain or paint
Mounting brackets (hidden or decorative)
How to:
Cut boards to the length you want (mine were 30").
Sand the edges until smooth.
Apply stain or paint; let dry overnight.
Mount brackets to the wall studs, then slide shelves into place.
Step back, admire, and put a plant or two on them like the capable adult you are.
If that sounds doable, it is. And if it sounds like something you’d enjoy but you want a little more guidance, there’s a resource I genuinely like Ted’s Woodworking. It’s a massive library of woodworking plans, from simple shelves to full garden benches. It’s $67 for lifetime access (no subscription nonsense), and it comes with step-by-step guides that make it easy to just… start.
It’s the kind of thing that makes “maybe someday” projects actually happen.
Permission to build something small
We talk a lot about creating balance or finding peace, but sometimes peace just looks like sanding wood in your driveway on a Saturday afternoon.
So if your brain feels loud, build something small. Even if it’s just two shelves and a reason to slow down.
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