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Severe anxiety in relation to DIY ?

JimToken

I'm just wondering if anyone can relate to my situation?

Basically if I have a small DIY job like painting a wall or hanging a picture I get so anxious I'm not able to do the work at all

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RiderOnTheStorm

The best thing about DIY is that its for yourself (or your family). No one is expecting professional finish. If you make a mistake, or are not happy with result, the chances are that you are the only one that it will bug. We are own worst critics!

I started DIY years ago, doing odd jobs for my MIL. Her husband died young, and she had noone to do the small things (hang a picture, drill a hole for a hook, etc). She was so grateful for the smallest job, and so supportive & encouraging. If I was 80% happy with a job, she was 110% happy! If I didn't do the task, then it wouldn't get done, or she would have to get a pro in (if they would even turn up).

You will never be happy with the job you dont start.

PS ... a poor workman may blame his tools, but its hard to do a good job with bad tools. Good tools make a job easier. And I now include YouTube as a tool .

Padre_Pio

dxhound2005 wrote: »

Paint a small part of the wall, and leave it for a while. If it looks OK paint another bit. If it looks bad paint over it.

Prop up the picture where it can be viewed, until a professional can be called in to hang it. The sense of achievement and satisfaction will be overwhelming.

What does a professional picture hanger do?

dxhound2005

Paint a small part of the wall, and leave it for a while. If it looks OK paint another bit. If it looks bad paint over it.

Prop up the picture where it can be viewed, until a professional can be called in to hang it. The sense of achievement and satisfaction will be overwhelming.

Mango Joe

Jim we all suffer from fear of failure to a greater or lesser degree..... Why not post on the DIY forum and get good advice so you're confident before going into the job in the first place?

That way when it all goes tits up you can tell everyone it was those pricks from the Internets that fecked it all up.

seamus

I used to have a bit of this.

My main fear was that I would make a balls of it and instead of paying someone €100 to do the job, I'd have to pay them €200 to repair the mess I made of it.

Once you get a bit of practise at a few core jobs though - drilling, sawing, painting and plastering - there's very little damage you can do that can't be undone.

There are some I avoid almost completely, like pipework, because the damage I do may not happen for months and could cost six figures. But outside of that I'll usually give anything a go.

Key is to take your time, don't try to bodge something because you're in a rush or don't have the right tools, and if you don't understand what you're doing, don't do it.

Padre_Pio

Magdalena Prickly Dove wrote: »

your are nothing until you have changed the disks, pads and fluid of your car brakes

and survived

It's mad that for all the health and safety in this world, that any joe soap can mess with the system that stops 1.5 ton of metal from crushing pedestrians.

CharlesMartel

White collar worker here. Wife is a dab hand at painting and i am good with donkey work and hand tools. We have saved 1000s of euro in last cpl of years not using tradies. Proudest fix was the clothes dryer. Dismantled the yoke cleaned it out and dried all the electric. Then redid the rubber seals. It cost 5 euro in parts and 2 hours of my time. Ditto with shelving and woodworking. That said will call the professionaks for electrics otherwise and plumbing issues. And always hire Polish!

i57dwun4yb1pt8

your are nothing until you have changed the disks, pads and fluid of your car brakes

and survived

[Deleted User]

I wonder if the OP is a man or a woman for a lot of men being good at DIY is unconsciously seen as a manly thing, part of being a man = being able to fix things, so if they are not good at it, it can become a self-esteem issue.

Padre_Pio

Mrs OBumble wrote: »

Just hire someone to do things. Life is too short to sweat the small stuff.

Call out fees alone would make me sweat.

Mrs OBumble

Just hire someone to do things. Life is too short to sweat the small stuff.

biko

Keep doing small jobs and your brain will stop worrying when it realises you can do these things without problem.

auspicious

uch wrote: »

So you're just a lazy bollix Jim

And I thought my post was bad.

Give it a lash Jim. No-one is going to see it for another four weeks at least. Plenty of time to redo if it doesn't go according to plan.

uch

JimToken wrote: »

I'm just wondering if anyone can relate to my situation?

Basically if I have a small DIY job like painting a wall or hanging a picture I get so anxious I'm not able to do the work at all

So you're just a lazy bollix Jim

Padre_Pio

So long as it looks half decent it's fine.

You'll see all the flaws, no one else will.

khalessi

Youtube is your friend if in doubt there is bound to be a video on it somewhere and there is a great DIY section here for advice. I hop in and out of it when Im stuck on something to see if anyone else has had same issue and just cause its informative

An Ri rua

JimToken wrote: »

I'm just wondering if anyone can relate to my situation?

Basically if I have a small DIY job like painting a wall or hanging a picture I get so anxious I'm not able to do the work at all

I recall reading years ago about surgeons who balked at the idea of changing the oil in their car. Not that they were above it, far from it. Moreso they were fearful of the unknown.
We're all getting anxiety over things now, it's showing up in strange places. Break the thing down into smaller pieces Jim. Then just take one task and forget the rest. It can't be all done in one day!! We overwhelm ourselves. I'm very conscious of similar as I'm moving house. If you stay up at the helicopter view all day, you'll go mad. Just pick a doable task, and DO it. Less thinking, more doing. If you make a mistake, so what? It's sortable.
Best regards

auspicious

Since it's after hours

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-e--D2Xe6zs

Man with broke phone

Theres nothing you can break that a professional cant fix for near the same price as he would have charged anyway.

Unless you explode the place.

KaneToad

JimToken wrote: »

I'm just wondering if anyone can relate to my situation?

Basically if I have a small DIY job like painting a wall or hanging a picture I get so anxious I'm not able to do the work at all

I used to be like that until I realised the cost of getting a professional to do it. Now I have a crack at most things - painting, plumbing, fixing stuff, electrics, even a bit of woodwork.

Everything I've learned is from YouTube and places like boards.ie.

It takes me ages to do a job but now I enjoy it (must be getting old!)

Just do it.

PsychoPete

Just tear in to it, sure if you make a balls of it you can only fix it and start over. Be grand

JimToken

Oberkon wrote: »

My advice sometimes you're better off dead
There's a gun in your hand it's pointing at your head
You think you're mad too unstable
Kicking in chairs and knocking down tables
In a restaurant in a West end town
Call the police there's a mad man around
Running down underground
To a dive bar in a West end town

Not nice

Quantum Erasure

JimToken wrote: »

I'm just wondering if anyone can relate to my situation?

Basically if I have a small DIY job like painting a wall or hanging a picture I get so anxious I'm not able to do the work at all

Have a few beers, be grand....

How's the rest of your life? If its a general anxiety thing you have, give your GP a call,

i57dwun4yb1pt8

make sure you have the right tools , ladders , etc all ready to go , take your time and treat it as a distraction / exercise / therapy
and focus on the result , which is a nicer place to live

I hate DIY , but have just finished painting 80 square meters of a room with 4 meter high ceilings , on a 2.5 meter step ladder

sure i may have had a few beers every night after , but thats the reward for a job well done

id rather do this than sit in an office / or work from home dealing with knobheads in the IT world anyday

crosstownk

Oberkon wrote: »

My advice sometimes you're better off dead
There's a gun in your hand it's pointing at your head
You think you're mad too unstable
Kicking in chairs and knocking down tables
In a restaurant in a West end town
Call the police there's a mad man around
Running down underground
To a dive bar in a West end town

How will west end girls help?

corner of hells

JimToken wrote: »

I'm just wondering if anyone can relate to my situation?

Basically if I have a small DIY job like painting a wall or hanging a picture I get so anxious I'm not able to do the work at all

I have a similar condition relating to emptying the dishwasher, my wife has no sympathy whatsoever.