If you’re looking for a way to relax, baking might be the perfect solution. The simple act of measuring, mixing, and creating something delicious can be incredibly soothing. Studies show that baking helps reduce anxiety and provides a sense of calm and accomplishment. From the comforting aroma of fresh pastries to the satisfaction of a finished treat, it’s a form of therapy you can eat. Here are 15 reasons why baking is the ultimate stress reliever—so preheat your oven and let the relaxation begin!
Note: The content of this article is not medical advice.
Focus on Fun
Baking requires a lot of focus. You need to pay close attention to the ingredients you measure, the way you mix, and how your baked goods look inside the oven. When you focus on your baking project, you will not think about other stressful things in your life. Your mind will be busy with the fun, enjoyable task at hand!
Shifting your attention to baking and away from stress will instantly calm you down and make you feel better.
Repetition is Soothing
Whether you are baking cookies or a beautiful cake, the recipe likely includes many repetitive steps. Measuring ingredients again and again and mixing in methodical motions is actually quite soothing. Dedicating your mental and physical energy to baking is comforting. You can get lost in the motions and tune out the rest of the world.
Brings Bake Positive Memories
Did you ever bake with your grandma when you were a kid? Or maybe your mom was a fantastic baker and would fill your home with the smell of baked goods. Baking can bring back some fond memories of childhood and a more carefree time in your life. When you smell that delicious dessert cooking in the oven, your mind will wander back to a time when you were happy, safe, and excited to eat something amazing.
Sensory Distractions
Baking is a multi-sensory activity. You have to touch the ingredients, smell the delicious scent of something baking in the oven, and (of course) taste the sweet treat at the end of the project. Using all of your senses in a positive way can be very therapeutic for many people. When all of your senses are busy in the kitchen, they don’t have time to be stressed or anxious!
Make sure you feel that dough, smell those cookies in the oven, and look closely at the stunning pastries you made. Baking sure does use all of our five senses!
Control to Ease Anxiety
When you start a baking project, you are completely in control. You know exactly how long the project will take, exactly what ingredients you need, and how to perform every single step. There are not often surprises in baking but simply methodical, planned processes. Since baking is so predictable, it can actually help you relax and prevent you from feeling overwhelmed in such a turbulent world.
Feeling in complete control can actually help fight depression and anxiety. When you control your world, you are in charge! And doesn’t it feel good to be in charge?
Sense of Purpose
Many people feel stress and anxiety when they have lost their sense of purpose. Everyone needs to feel important and special. Baking is one way to give your day purpose. You need to make those cookies, you have to bake that bread, and making a gorgeous cake is essential!
When your baking project is complete, you will also feel accomplished and like you achieved a great task. All your troubles will melt away when you take that first bite of delicious, homemade dessert.
Sharing is Caring
When you start baking, you may have to share in mind. Most recipes make larger pastries or dozens of cookies. You should have plenty to share! Sharing your masterpieces with others will make you feel important and give you a sense of community. These feelings will help you relax and also make you happier in general. Making other people smile will, in turn, make you smile!
So make sure you pack up some of those cookies to bring to a neighbor or drop off a batch of muffins for a friend. They will be less stressed, and you will be too!
Control Your Ingredients
When you buy baked goods in the grocery store, they are typically full of preservatives and artificial ingredients. Eating a lot of these chemicals can actually alter your mood. Nutrition plays a huge part in how we feel and how our body functions.
Baking at home can help eliminate some of these chemicals from the equation and help you make all-natural foods. Fueling your body with healthier foods will instantly make you feel less stressed.
Stay Busy
When you are at a lull in your own life, you may start to focus more on the negative things going on in the world. When you start to fill your day with mindless scrolling on your phone or obsessively reading news articles, you will feel almost instant stress. Baking is a much better way to fill any void in your life!
Be Creative
Studies have shown that engaging in creative activities can help you feel relaxed, happy, and far less stressed. When you have a creative outlet, you will feel more enthusiastic about life and also have a sense of personal growth.
Baking and decorating desserts is a wonderful way to use your creativity in a positive, beneficial way. With hundreds and thousands of baking recipes for you to try, you can bake for years and years! It is an outlet to reduce stress that literally never ends.
Sugar Makes You Happy
We all know that baking delicious desserts requires a good amount of sugar! When your baking project is done, and you finally get to eat those sweet treats, you will get a boost of happiness like no other.
When you eat sugar, your brain releases dopamine, a neurotransmitter that makes you feel good. This means your homemade baked goods are scientifically proven to make you happy!
Endless Possibilities
There is no end to the things you can create in your kitchen. You could bake every single day for the rest of your life and never run out of recipes to try! Anytime you feel stressed, you can start to bake. It is an activity that is available to you any day, anytime. Having that endless outlet for relief is comforting in its own way.
So, anytime you start to feel stressed, you can remember that your next big baking project can begin anytime you want it to. The kitchen is always there for you!
No Surprises
When you bake, you know what the end result will be. You will finish your project with a perfect cake, tasty cookies, or a stunning dessert. There are no surprises, which can be quite soothing. Knowing exactly what will happen when you follow a recipe can be quite comforting!
End Your Day Positively
When you bake, you get to enjoy a sweet treat at the end of your project. Having dessert at the end of each day has been shown to make people happier. It gives a firm endpoint to the day. Once you eat your dessert, the day is complete.
Having a closing ritual to the day is something experts say relieves anxiety. Making a homemade dessert the last part of your day will surely help you feel content and satisfied!
Celebrate You
You don't need an occasion or upcoming party as an excuse to bake. You deserve to have a homemade dessert any day. Making sure you take the time to celebrate and love yourself is important. Self-love can help alleviate stress and make you feel like a complete, happy person once again.
Pick out a dessert recipe and bake it! You will feel content the moment you bite into that yummy baked good that was made just for you.
This post was originally published on Spatula Desserts.
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