Is a $200 stand mixer actually worth it or did I just fall for the hype?

Three years ago I caved and bought a KitchenAid stand mixer for around $220 on sale at a Macy's in Columbus. My mom had one and swore by it, but I was making bread by hand and honestly thought I was doing fine. Here's the thing though, after about two months my wrists were killing me from kneading and I was only baking once a week because it felt like such a chore. Once I got the mixer I was doing three or four loaves a week plus cookies and it basically paid for itself in the first year just from how much more I actually baked. But I've also seen people say they bought one and it just sits on the counter collecting dust because they still prefer doing things by hand or they only bake a few times a year. So I'm genuinely curious where everyone lands on this. Did a stand mixer actually change your baking game or did you regret dropping that kind of cash on something that takes up half your counter? And if you're team hand mixing, what's your secret for not wearing out your arms on stiff doughs?