Why Simple Hands-On Activities Are Good For Our Mental Health

(6 minute read)

“We don’t have to waste our day fixing a bike tire,” I impatiently told my dad and partner, for the second time that morning. 

They had already spent an hour and a half crouched over a flat tire on a cool, sunny Florida morning. All of this effort—just so we could go for a bike ride together. 

They tried the soap-and-water trick to find the leak. Nothing. 

Maybe the valve? They drove to the store for a replacement. Still leaking. 

Eventually the entire inner tube had to be replaced—and fitting it under the slightly-too-small tire became its own challenge. 

They were determined to fix this pancaked tire. Meanwhile I kept thinking how we were not making the most of our time in Florida, imagining how we could be sitting at the beach by now. We could just skip the bike ride, or buy a new tire or really anything else other than tinker, tinker, tinker.

Two hours later from when they started their mission, we had a bike with two consistently full tires. 

It was a great bike ride. 

Later that night I asked my partner what his favorite part of the day was. To my surprise it wasn’t spending time at the beach, it wasn’t seeing wildlife—it wasn’t even the bike ride. 

His favorite part of the day was fixing the flat tire with my dad. 

Why Are People Returning to “Analog” Activities? 

Recently, I’ve heard people on and offline describe 2026 as “the age of analog”—a shift toward doing more things the slower, physical way. People are buying film cameras again, making photo albums by hand, baking bread, fixing things instead of replacing them. 

Why does this appeal to us so much? 

My partner reflected how he learned a lot about how to fix a bicycle tire (something he didn’t know how to do the day prior), he liked getting to use his hands, and how he enjoyed spending time with my dad.

Hands-On Tasks Build a Sense of Capability

While my partner and I are somewhat resourceful for our millennial upbringing, we often resort to the more convenient, less troublesome option. Let’s just say if we both don’t feel like cooking dinner, we’re quick to offer the solution of takeout or UberEats. 

While this of course is the easy, most convenient option, it also robs us of our feelings of pride and capability we feel when we take our first bites of our homemade meal, especially if it’s a new recipe we’ve never tried. 

The series of struggles with the bike tire led to feelings of progress and capability for my partner. He walked away that day learning a new skill and feeling more “handy”—a new descriptor for himself.

Choosing to do things in a more inconvenient way can give us just enough of a struggle for us to build our feelings of capability, empowerment, and self-esteem.

Using Our Hands Encourages Mindfulness

My partner walked away from the bike tire saga with black oil marks smeared across his hands and legs and a smile on his face. 

How often are we creating things with our hands these days? When was the last time your hands dug into the ground and felt cool soil? Or peeled a carrot, shaving off the rough bumps into something smooth?

Most of our output today happens on keyboards and touchscreens. 

Creating and doing things physically with our hands requires more of our attuned presence and often engages our five senses. Our attention isn’t being split by the incoming email, text notification, or news alert. It’s focused on the texture, temperature, smell, and sounds of the material in front of us. 

It requires us to practice mindfulness, a skill strongly linked to improved mental health and emotional well-being, including reduced symptoms of anxiety and depression.

Simple Actions Can Strengthen Connection

After my conversation with my partner that evening, it dawned on me that what I considered to be an inconvenient “time waster” was actually a bonding moment for my partner and dad. Their conversation oscillated between the dang tire valve and other parts of their lives, allowing them to learn more about the other and grow closer. 

It also gave them the opportunity to build a sense of teamwork and “togetherness,” kind of like playing on a sports team. It was them vs the tire, and they were determined to beat their opponent. 

Building and maintaining connections is a huge part of our mental health. As relationship therapist Esther Perel often says, “The quality of your life ultimately depends on the quality of your relationships.” 

On that Florida morning, I thought fixing a tire was keeping us from living our day. 

In reality, it was one of the most alive moments in it. 

So I’m here for the “Year of the Analog.” It gives us the opportunity to get off of our doomscrolling and into our own lives; and actually living our lives, gives us more meaning, learnings, presence, and togetherness. These are all key factors to supporting our mental well-being. 

A Small Reflection For Your Own Life

Maybe lately you’re noticing your days feel rushed, distracted, or overly focused on screens. You might be craving something slower, more grounded, or more meaningful. Many people are realizing they want more presence, connection, and purpose in their daily lives—but aren’t always sure how to start creating that shift.

If you resonate with this feeling, take a moment to reflect:

1. Think about a recent activity you did with your hands. Maybe cooking, gardening, fixing something, drawing, or building. 
2. How did it make you feel afterwards? Did you notice any sense of accomplishment, calm, or connection?
3. What is one small hands-on activity you could try this week? It doesn’t need to be complicated—something as simple as cooking a new meal, planting something small, or repairing something instead of Amazon’ing its new version to your door. 

If you’re noticing a desire to feel more present, connected, or confident in your life, therapy can be a supportive space to explore those changes.

If you’d like support building self-esteem, mindfulness, and emotional well-being, please reach out through my Connect page to learn more about working together virtually or in person in the Hudson Valley, NY. 

With care,
Chrissy