Make Bread, Not War
Feeling stressed out? Feeling a bit under the weather? Feeling like everything is going south and you’re in the front rows just watching?
Well, I don’t want this to sound like an infomercial, but have you tried cooking? Just think about it – you’re coming home from a busy day in the office, and all you want to do is eat something and face dive on your heavenly-looking pillow. But because you’re hungry, you take some frozen meal, stick it in the microwave and start to contemplate life…
If this sounds familiar, well … don’t do that. Making a meal yourself instead can be extremely beneficial to your mental state, not to mention that it can be used as a way of handling any small state of depression. Think about it, cooking is simply taking all the right things in the right amounts and making something amazing… Much like life.
What Does Science Have To Say, Though?
A study, portrayed in the Wall Street Journal, marks several clinics around the world that use cooking as a therapy to handle mental health issues and it works for most of the patients.
If that is so then imagine what it can do for you after a long day. I’m not saying that only people with busy and exhausting lifestyles should embark and embrace the idea, it works for everyone and everywhere. The main objective of cooking therapy is to have fun. That’s what it is all about – letting go of all the built-up emotions and focusing on the stress reliever.
Here’s How It Works…
For one thing, cooking is an art. Art projects are strongly considered to be great for shutting down your mind for a while and keeping your hands busy.
Think of it not as a task or chore, but a way to express yourself, experiment, be spontaneous, add any weird and inedible thing that you love in there, create the thing that would say ‘this is me’. It doesn’t matter that you’re a terrible cook, or have no understanding of what the palette wants, you can still experiment as much as you like.
Let’s Not Forget… Herbs
You may be surprised what herbs can and could do for your well-being. There is a huge variety of plants that you can mix, use fresh, dry out, marinate, and so on, and so on. The second the aroma of the herbs makes its way thru your nose canal can help you relax like you’ve never relaxed before.
You can also grow your own herbs, that way you learn to be more persistent and committed to something without having to feel bad about killing yet another goldfish.
Food Isn’t Just Survival
If you think of cooking as a project or a hobby you may very well be more concentrated and productive in real life. Creating a daily routine that consists of food preparation, preserving, reading about, and talking about food can help you live a more stress-free life. Not to mention that it’s a pretty neat conversation piece if you want to impress the person you like.
Most people love food, why not make them happy? It is a certainty that we, as social animals, take pleasure in seeing someone we like show us his/her wide and bright smile. It shows that you have successfully made someone’s day better and you would feel good because of that. Saved for last is probably the most obvious reason to do it – it’s healthier!
Your body will treat you like a king if you take care of it, learn its likes and dislikes, and treat it accordingly.
After a couple of home-prepared meals, you will soon feel like a changed person with more energy, with higher motivation to take over the world, take out a girl or a guy you like on a date, stand up to your parents, because ‘no’ they don’t know everything, or, if you’re in the mood, crush your enemies – whatever floats your boat.
I know that many of you don’t have the time and patience to go through all the work, but, man, it feels so good to have a routine that works and is good for your mind and body, so don’t knock it, until you’ve tried it.
