Baking is a wonderful hobby that not only fills your kitchen with tasty food, but is also a goal-orientated, creative, and sometimes physically demanding activity that can help boost your mental health, and help ground you in the present.
With the new series of The Great British Bake-Off now back on our screens, we thought it would be a good time to exilian just how something as simple as baking can help out mental wellbeing. We’re not saying that it is going to fix your problems on its own, but it can be a big help.
Reducing stress and anxiety
Baking can help lower stress hormones, such as cortisol and epinephrine. This not only lowers your levels of stress and anxiety, but it leads to improved sleep, boosts your immunity, lowers blood pressure, and more!
According to a recent study, people who engage in small creative projects such as baking felt more enthusiastic about what they accomplished the next day.
Boosting self-confidence
When you set yourself a task or goal, such as baking something from scratch, which you then achieve, it can significantly boost your self-esteem. Behavioural activation is a therapy used to treat those suffering from their mental health; it is used to combat doubt and low mood by increasing productivity in a realistic and achievable way.
Improving creativity
Tweaking a tried and tested recipe, or using your skills to decorate a cake can also help, as being creative can reduce depression, anxiety, and stress, improving your overall wellbeing.
The average person has around 6,000 thoughts per day, but being creative helps to focus the mind by calming the mind and body. It also is an effective way to reduce the symptoms of dementia, improves memory and cognitive abilities.
Boosting physical health
Okay, so if you then go and eat all of your delicious baked products, that might mitigate any health advantages gained, but the act of baking can be a workout, with kneading, rolling, and being active in the kitchen, and physical activity is proven to boost mental health.
Why not try baking for yourself and see how it boosts your mental health? If you’re looking for a mindfulness coach in London, come and talk to us today. Maybe bring cake!
Comments