Baking for your mental health
- Bake Soc
- Apr 20, 2020
- 5 min read
Hello!
This is my first post on the blog about baking and mental health.
As students, we often neglect our wellbeing because of the stresses that come with university – deadlines, exams, revision, and the pressure to socialise and take care of yourself on top of all of that.
With the ever changing and uncertain nature of the situation we are currently in, it is no surprise a lot of people are struggling with their mental health. Whether it be the restrictions self-isolation puts on our ability to socialise, the lack of routine and normality, or feeling unable to escape the constant news updates of coronavirus in the media – sometimes it can all get a bit too much.
If you are feeling particularly low – it is important to practice self-care to avoid negative feelings accumulating. This can be in any form; baking, painting, music, exercise, reading, watching Netflix, playing video games, FaceTiming friends, doing a face mask – whatever make you happy!
Studies have shown baking can improve mood and has social, personal, and emotional benefits. Baking has always been a huge stress reliever for me and there have been many spontaneous, late night baking sessions... particularly post-revision meltdown during A-levels...all jokes aside scroll to the bottom of this post for some safe places to get advice if you are finding it difficult to cope or know someone that is amidst the pandemic.
Now here are 10 reasons why baking is good for your mental health!
1. It is a therapeutic
There is something very calming about baking. It is simple, relaxing, and some steps can be repetitive e.g whisking/folding. Weighing out the exact ingredients, stirring the mixture and watching everything come together can be very satisfying. It is an activity in which you need to focus but it will not exhaust your brain. Sometimes a calming activity like this is just what you need when you are feeling burnt out.
2. It releases tension and stress
Baking is more physical than it seems and can be a way to release built up tension and stress. It is almost certainly no HIIT workout but kneading dough, rolling pastry and keeping steady whilst icing, engages your arm muscles and has you on your feet!
If you have a lot of anxious energy, knead it out into a mound of dough. Then whack that dough into the oven and voilà! you’ve got a loaf of bread, slightly aching arms and expelled negative vibes 😊
3. It is a distraction
Baking requires your full attention as you are following steps of a recipe and making accurate measurements. Your hands are full (literally) so there is not a lot of room to be thinking about anything else but the task at hand. You can channel your energy and thoughts into something productive and creative and it will leave you feeling refreshed afterwards as you have given your mind a rest from any negative thoughts.
4. It stimulates all your senses
One way to deal with anxiety is the 54321-mindfulness exercise. It involves looking at your surroundings and finding 5 things you can see, 4 things you can hear, 3 things you can feel, 2 things you can smell and 1 thing you can taste. According to Ellen Hendriksen, a clinical psychologist, this method works by grounding us in the present and interrupting spinning thoughts by counting in a controlled way.
The basic premise of using senses as a tool to ease anxiety is also found in baking: the sight of perfect, snowy meringue peaks, the sound of egg cracking, the feel of dough beneath your hands, the smell of baked scones wafting through the kitchen and then taking that first bite of heaven fresh out of the oven – it is a multi-sensory experience!
5. It allows you to be creative
Experts say there is a strong correlation between creative expression and overall wellbeing. Baking as a form of self-expression allows you to detach from the chaos of everything going on and focus on imaginative ideas instead. Unleash your inner artist as you ice that cake or try that new recipe you’ve been meaning to for ages. Experiment with flavour combinations or bake something savoury for a change!
6. It is productive
Whilst we all love to #procrastibake, baking IS a productive way to fill time - when you bake, you create! It’s okay if you are finding it difficult to motivate yourself during this isolation period. Not being ‘productive’ may cause low mood amongst some people and you may feel like you are wasting your day doing ‘nothing’.
Try and remove the mindset that when you are doing anything other than that uni assignment you are procrastinating or not making the ‘best use’ out of your time. Once you have baked you have created something and should feel some sense of fulfilment or accomplishment from that. Maybe that feeling you get from baking is the motivator you need to sit down and reach that wordcount or complete that flashcard set. Keep going!
7. Anyone can bake!
BakeSoc are proud of the inclusivity of the society, holding events for a variety of dietary needs and baking abilities so that everyone feels welcome to join whether you’ve never baked before, looking for a gluten-free alternative or want to showcase your intermediate truffle making skills!
You can find simple recipes that are super easy to follow, so if you haven’t baked before or it’s been a while, see it as a fun activity that is easy to tailor to you rather than something overwhelming or challenging. Nowadays you don’t even need an oven to bake a cake - microwave baking is on the rise so if you have a questionable student kitchen oven, have no fear – you can still bake!
Whilst ingredients may be more difficult to get your hands on during lockdown, there are many simple recipes which do not require a lot of ingredients, most of which you will probably have at home already!
8. Feelgood sharing
Family and friends will love to taste your baked goods. Positive affirmations from them as well as the act of sharing what you have created releases endorphins to lift your mood.
Share your bakes on social media too to show your uni friends what they’ve got to look forward to once we’re out of this lockdown and back to normal! Your student house kitchen will have never smelt so good…
9. Mind, Body and Soul
What you put in your body has a profound impact on your mood and wellbeing. There is nothing wrong with indulging every so often but eating foods high in sugar increase levels of a stress hormone called cortisol. There are plenty of healthier recipes to experiment with which will in turn lift your mood and, in this way, you can fuel your body as well as your mind with goodness through baking. Also, you can reduce the amount of sugar yourself in most recipes for a lighter alternative of your favourite bake!
10. The end result…
If anything, baking can help your mental wellbeing because you get to eat something delicious and hot at the end of it! There’s nothing better than home-made gooey brownies straight out of the oven 😊
Baking may help but is not the solution - If you are struggling with your mental health during this time here are some places for guidance and information you can go to (phone services are still running although may be slower than usual)
Samaritans
Phone : 116 123 (free, confidential 24h helpline)
Mind
CALM
NHS
~Chelsea x
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