With the current situation in the world and tough times at the moment we understand that it can feel overwhelming not being able to continue with your normal routine and not being able to do the things you love. This can lead to stress and anxiety and can make you feel really down and depressed. Even though you have to stay home we feel that certain activities can help reduce anxiety and put a smile back on your face. Something as simple as baking can be just what you need to make the day go quicker, spend quality time with your family and also make some delicious bakes! The relation between baking and psychological well being shows that baking can help you and keep your mind active and free. There are many reasons that baking can contribute to your mental health:
1) If you’re feeling overwhelmed with challenges and have low self-esteem, baking can give you the confidence that you need. It can help you feel proud of something that you’ve baked and when sharing your bakes with others, the praise you’ll receive will also give you that extra boost you need to feel better. This can help reduce depression and give you the great balance in your mind.
2) It can help reduce anxiety by being a natural stress reliever. Say with bread, you can take out your frustration on a ball of dough and you will feel so much better and then at the end of it you’ll have a delicious loaf of bread- It’s a win- win situation!
3) Being able to concentrate in a time like this can also be tough but baking can also help this. When baking you have to concentrate when measuring, managing the kitchen and also making sure your bakes don’t burn or over cook. This is why mindfulness during baking can help you to manage these tasks and even help you in day to day situations.
4) If you’re home with the family, you must also be struggling to organise activities or keep their spirits up too! However with baking you can get everyone excited, get them involved and if it is just you baking for them then think about how pleased they’ll be that you made the effort and the smell will already put a smile on their face even before the bakes are done! We think the smell of something baking in the oven is one of the best smells ever!!
5) Everyone is really stressed at the moment and with the world struggling the way it is, making your own bakes has many benefits. The fact that you can make fresh bread, cakes, biscuits and much more means that you don’t need to go into supermarkets for basics as often. If you suffer from stress, anxiety and depression it’s a way to experiment and bring out your creative side- not only will you have fun but you will be so proud of your achievements and don’t worry if your bakes are not perfect you can always keep trying and it’s the taste that counts!
So whether you’re stuck for things to do at home or not we can guarantee taking a break from everything else and baking up something amazing will make you and everyone around you feel good! So go on give it a go…
Happy Baking and Happy Thoughts!
