5 Reasons Why Cooking and Baking Can Improve Your Mental Health!
The COVID-19 pandemic and the sense of isolation has had a big influence on many people’s mental health. Many took up baking, posting endless photos of their baking on social media. But did you know that the process of cooking and baking can actually help your feelings of anxiety, depression, and helplessness? See why below!
The Reward Factor
According to psychologists, getting busy in the kitchen is good for you in two ways. Firstly, the activity keeps you busy and gives you something to focus on. Secondly, the actual activity also leaves you with a result – the yummy baking goods you can enjoy after. And people like working towards incentives!
It’s Like Meditation
The process of baking entails that you need to follow a recipe. And even if it isn’t a complicated recipe, it still requires you to focus. Throughout the baking process, you have to read the recipe, prepare the ingredients, and monitor your goods in the oven. According to a 2016 study, the type of focus used in baking is similar to meditation. Your mind is set to the task at hand, instead of dwelling on worrying issues. And that can actually help alleviated feelings of depression and anxiety. It makes you calmer and helps to get you ‘in the zone’. It even helps the tension in our bodies!
You Get Creative
Baking is a way of expressing creativity. Scientists say that people who work on creative projects every day – even small ones – felt a sense of accomplishment and personal growth. These small accomplishments can help them feel excited for the next day. So creativity increases a sense of hope, and that equals happiness!
By Helping Others, You Help Yourself
It’s great to enjoy the fruits of your labor after a baking session. But what’s even better than that, is sharing it with others. Research show that sharing the results of your cooking or baking with friends or family, can actually strengthen social bonds. This in turn, builds your self-confidence and personal sense of value.
You Have Control
We don’t have control over everything in our lives, and for some people, that fact can be overwhelming. Especially when things are not going so well. With cooking and baking, you have the control over what happens. You choose your ingredients, measure them out, and cook with purpose. For some people, this small sense of power can help alleviate a feeling of helplessness.
Does cooking or baking make you happier?
