In today’s fast-paced and chaotic life, finding moments of calmness can be a significant challenge. While some seek peace through spas and therapies, others find tranquillity in simple daily activities. And cooking certainly is one of the activities on the list. But have you ever wondered how this everyday chore becomes therapeutic? Or how does the act of preparing meals for your loved ones feel so healing? In this article, we will explore the scientific basis of this popular theory and uncover the soul-soothing power of the kitchen. Let’s get going.
Also Read: 5 Ways To Find Mindfulness In Simple Kitchen Activities
How Cooking Helps Calm The Brain?
There’s something very satisfying about the sight of a well-equipped kitchen, the sound of boiling water, or the sight of colourful vegetables chopped symmetrically. In recent years, especially since the pandemic, more and more people have turned to cooking as a refuge to cope with their everyday emotional struggles, anxiety and loneliness. It won’t be an exaggeration to say that cooking is not just feeding your body, but also your brain, to work well.
According to a study published in the journal Health Education and Behavior, it was found that a positive influence is “associated with participation in cooking interventions on psychosocial outcomes, including self-esteem.” There are a few overlapping explanations for the influence of cooking interventions on positive psychological outcomes.
1. Helps deal with stress and anxiety:
Cooking is an activity that involves the use of multiple skills, including parallel multitasking that relates to executive function. This, as per the researchers, works as “cognitive remediation therapy”. They add that the process of cooking might also provide a “reminiscence therapy experience,” a type of group therapy that entails recalling pleasurable memories.
2. Helps gain self-esteem:
Cooking, for many, is a repetitive chore that requires specific skills. As per the study, this provides an opportunity for repeated “mastery”, further boosting self-efficacy and self-esteem.
3. Helps you nourish beyond nutrition:
The researchers found that your nutritional status may also have a positive influence on your mental health. “Good evidence supports the relationship between diet and mood disorders such as depression, finding that improvements in health-related quality of life are associated with healthy food choices, which provides some evidence that this connection may extend beyond mood.”
4. Help create social connections:
Cooking for your loved ones and feeding the family can foster healthy social connections, further aiding your mental health. The process, in fact, involves group interactions, which, as per psychologists, have been “used as a therapeutic modality in psychotherapy for more than 100 years”.
Also Read: 6 Things Your Kitchen Needs Right Now To Handle Summer Heat
Photo Credit: iStock
How Can Cooking Be Made More Enjoyable?
1. Create a mood:
Imagine entering a messy kitchen. The idea itself is off-putting. Hence, it is important to create a vibe in space so that you can enjoy spending hours there. We suggest cleaning the kitchen, organising every essential element and playing some music or a podcast to hear while preparing a delicious meal.
2. Never stop experimenting:
Learning something new comes with its share of excitement. We suggest exploring new cuisines and unique cooking styles to make the process more adventurous, while enhancing your skills.
3. Prepare meals for your loved ones:
This concept carries a sense of happiness with it. Cooking meals for your family and seeing them enjoying the food helps you feel satisfied and boosts your morale. This also helps you bond with people and avoid loneliness.
4. Never compromise with quality:
Ensure you select the finest ingredients for your recipes. This not only significantly impacts the outcome (here: the food) but also elevates your cooking experience.
5. Enjoy your achievements:
Trust us, it is okay to take pride in your cooking skills. We suggest enjoying those small achievements, like making the perfect batter for cake or chopping vegetables perfectly. This will help keep up your excitement while cooking.
Also Read: 5 Common Mistakes To Avoid When Cooking Indian Curries
The Takeaway:
Always remember, cooking can’t fix everything, but it can surely give you the momentary solace to get going. So next time, when you step into the kitchen, try to look at it as a place of restoration, providing the required calm in the chaos.