Cooking As Therapy - How Cooking Can Help De-Stress

The simple act of cooking a meal for yourself or a group of people can have incredible restorative powers. It has long been said by people who enjoy rustling up a dish that they feel soothed by the nature of the cooking process. So what is it about cooking that can ease the mind and help someone feel less anxious?

Firstly, there is a lot to be said for taking a few moments to clear your mind when stressed. Cooking provides the perfect time for some well needed head space. In these busy times we can often find ourselves swept off our feet and can face daily stresses become overwhelming. Cooking provides an ideal stretch of time where you can focus on a task which is removed from whatever you may be worrying about.

The actual process of preparing vegetables, meats and other ingredients utilises a methodical part of your brain and allows you to detach from your worries in aid of completing a simple task. By spending time on a straightforward and uncomplicated project, such as cooking a meal, the brain can unwind. That is why many people find cooking a meal at the end of each day an excellent way to loosen up after a restless work day.

It can also be very rewarding to cook and create a meal for yourself and especially for others. It is well known that some individuals feel a sense of achievement and warmth when providing for others. By catering for family members, or just one's partner, the individual can gleam a huge sense of self-worth and happiness. Self-worth is invaluable as a means of therapy for stress. After a stressful day, being able to feel that it was worth waking up for that day is incredibly important. The self-worth one can feel from providing for others and also fulfilling them is imperative to why a lot of happy cooks enjoy the art of creating a meal. This sense of reward is another way to point to the sense of therapy that cooking can bring.

In addition, the act of successfully creating something at the end of a hard day can be very rewarding. To easily and honestly create a meal is one of the simplest rewards our lifestyle can warrant. If a person has had a very stressful day and feels that they have not achieved a lot at work, being able to come home and pull together a meal can feel like a great accomplishment.

Overall, the simple ability to take some head space and put your mind to creating a meal at the end of the day can soothe the stresses of the day. It allows for us to step back and provide something of worth when you may have felt that your day was wasted.


 By Lucy Cecil


Article Source: Cooking As Therapy - How Cooking Can Help De-Stress