Updated: January 2025
DIY THERAPY (Do it Yourself Therapy)
Where Healing Begins with You.
DIY Therapy is a concept coined by Stella White-Rose, an umbrella term encompassing all self-care and self-guided practices, such as journaling, crafting, playing music, walking in green spaces, and more. It focuses on regular – ideally daily – healing activities that become an integral part of your lifestyle. These practices benefit the mind, body, and soul, offering a holistic approach to well-being.
Accessible to most, DIY Therapy is low-cost, practical, enjoyable, and highly effective. It’s especially inclusive, designed to be doable even for individuals with disabilities. At its heart, DIY Therapy empowers individuals to take agency over their own well-being and healing journey.
A fundamental belief underpinning DIY Therapy is that all humans are innately creative. Whether through art, movement, writing, or nurturing plants, this inherent creativity is a vital part of who we are and holds immense power for healing. Often, we possess the tools within ourselves to foster growth and recovery—DIY Therapy simply provides the structure and inspiration to unlock that potential.
Craft Therapy, a cornerstone of DIY Therapy, is particularly beneficial for people experiencing chronic pain and for those, including children, who have been traumatized. Its meditative qualities help take the mind away from sensing physical and emotional pain, offering a soothing and restorative escape. By engaging the hands and focusing the mind, Craft Therapy creates moments of calm and control that foster resilience and well-being.
While DIY Therapy can be easily undertaken alone—at a time, place, and duration that suits the individual—it also has the potential to foster social cohesion. By bringing people together through shared creative or mindful activities, it can strengthen connections within groups and communities. In an era where loneliness is increasingly endemic in Western societies, DIY Therapy offers a meaningful remedy by creating opportunities for collaboration, conversation, and shared purpose.
Awareness of the benefits DIY Therapy brings is key. Beyond its immediate effects, such as reduced stress and improved mood, it also helps individuals reconnect with their intrinsic creativity, build resilience, and find joy in the present moment. By integrating these practices into daily life, DIY Therapy not only enhances individual well-being but also contributes to a happier, more connected, and more sustainable society.
This complete chapter, DIY THERAPY, can be read in the book.
I Will Rise from The Ashes – Domestic Violence: What it is & How to safely leave by Stella White-Rose is out 6th April 2025, available from Amazon on Kindle.
