[nottrustin]

Yesterday my best friend and I discussed how therapeutic baking and cooking can be. I find baking therapurice but my family doesn't eat a lot of baked goods so I don't do much of it.

Then this morning this article popped up on my Facebook feed.

Psychologists Explain The Benefits Of Baking For Other People | HuffPost

[downandlonely]

I would love if someone baked for me. But I'm already overweight, so maybe it's not such a good idea.

[WarmFuzzySocks]

Yes, this certainly rings true for me. Sharing food with others is a pretty elemental way to connect, and there's opportunity for creativity/artistry once you get comfortable with the basics.

Baking has got such a sensory component, too: The feel of the bread or dough (which I knead or pat by hand), the smell of the yeast or the baking, the golden color of the finished product is so satisfying, and of course nothing tastes quite like fresh baked goods out of the oven...

My friend was telling me yesterday about something her NP said to her about mindfulness. That for many women, traditionally, mindfulness and meditative states and handwork (knitting, hand sewing or embroidery, crochet, etc.) are connected, and as handwork slowly becomes less common, we miss out on natural opportunities for that mindful meditative state. I feel like baking does that for me also.

Thanks for sharing the article!

[LonesomeTonight]

Cooking (not so much baking, since I’m not good at that) helps me. I think because I have to really focus on what I’m doing, so there’s mindfulness there. And chopping things can feel therapeutic. I mentioned it to T once and he agreed about cooking being good mindfulness activity.

[feralkittymom]

I find cooking and baking--though I do much less of that since going low carb--a definite mood changer. I put on music I can sing to, and spend an afternoon in the kitchen. Always feel better afterward.

[Anne2.0]

I love to cook and bake, and am very good at it. It's a creative outlet for me, and I do enjoy other people enjoying my food. It's more complicated now that I'm only cooking for myself (and cook another meal for teen, who rarely eats what I eat). Most of the time we go out to eat, as it saves time and stuff rotting in the fridge. And I also cook for my elderly dog and follow the Dr. Pitcairn recipes generally, and she's doing really well on it.

Yesterday I cooked a meal for a friend and took it over to her and we ate together and chatted. Besides my dog's stew, I roasted vegetables and made a maple cornmeal pudding and then baked salmon with a composite butter. I spent all day in the kitchen and it was serene-inducing. In general, cooking for myself feels like taking care of myself in a way that just feeding does not. I wish I did it more often. I definitely think there is something to culinary therapy.

[stopdog]

I find cooking calming. I've just started cooking again after the death of my person. For a long time after she died, I just couldn't do it.

I don't care for cooking on my own too much and do not frequently cook just for myself, but I really enjoy doing it as a shared experience with friends. Not cooking for other people (I am not a good enough cook to be confident about that too much), but doing it together. So, for me, it's not that I would invite friends for dinner etc, but for the whole procedure, including the necessary shopping. I agree it can be a very creative endeavor and allow for a better diet.

[nottrustin]

What brought this conversation up this weekend the sister in law of member of a very close church group member I belong to pass away last week. My best friend and I decifmfed our way of helping the family ward to make a homemade meal for ther family. One day the had 2 viewings one on the afternoon and one on the evening. So my friend made dinner and I made deserts and brought fruit. It was so simple for us and for me therapeutic. The family was so appreciative since they were on the go all day so to be able to come home during their couple of free hours to a hot meal and to be able to sit was huge.