Those who know me, or have read my Odyssey tagline, can see that I'm a self-proclaimed cupcake connoisseur and lover of baking. In high-stress situations, I love nothing more than to open a cookbook, find a fun recipe, and let my creativity flow. But can baking really relieve stress?
If you Google "stress baking", there are over 14 million results. There are blogs devoted to easy recipes to brighten your day and videos of fun baking adventures. There are also sites, like Depressed Cake Shop, that actually bring baking and mental health awareness together. This specific site believes, "where there is cake, there is hope...and there is always cake."
Linda Blair, a clinical psychologist and writer for The Telegraph, examined the logical explanation behind people's love of baking.
"Baking is a true panacea for our modern lifestyle. It is the quintessential antidote for the hectic, too often virtual, approach we take to living today. In fact, as a clinical psychologist, I consider baking to be such an excellent tonic that I would encourage anyone who feels stressed, overloaded or burnt out to start doing some serious baking – and the sooner the better.
The act of baking is a process, not a soundbite. It takes time to read a recipe, gather the ingredients, mix the dough, let it rise, shape it, and then bake what we’ve created. That’s how humans are designed to operate – to understand what they’re doing, step by step."
John Whaite, winner of the popular show "The Great British Bake Off," told BBC that baking can greatly improve mental health. "When I'm in the kitchen, measuring the amount of sugar, flour or butter I need for a recipe or cracking the exact number of eggs - I am in control. That's really important as a key element of my condition is a feeling of no control."
I encourage everyone to get in the kitchen, get creative, and de-stress. If you're unsure where to start, check out "The Great British Bake Off," anything that peaks your interest on Food Network, or this fun little video from Tasty.
Just remember that you don't have to be a master chef to get the most out of baking. It's all about finding an outlet to let go of stress. Whether it works out or not, it's a great escape from whatever is going on in your life (and there's definitely no harm in filling your home with the comforting smell of fresh baked treats.)
