8 Ways Cooking is a Form of Self-Care

Healthy eating is the foundation for a healthy life. Sure, the occasional cheat day is not going to undo all of the hard work we do to stay healthy. However, no matter how well we approach the other parts of our life, if we get into a bad routine it can have an impact.

It’s no secret that cooking your own food is the best way to truly control what you eat. As it turns out, cooking can be incredibly therapeutic. The health effects from cooking your own meals can be profound not only to your physical health, but your mental health as well.

Let’s look at how creating a positive cooking experience can transform the cooking process into a form of therapy. For more on the topic, Kitchen Cabinet Kings breaks it down in their visual below on cooking as therapy.

Cooking can be incredibly therapeutic. The health effects from cooking your own meals can be profound not only to your physical health, but your mental health as well.

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Cooking is Not a Chore

Before cooking can become therapeutic, many people will have to redefine their relationship with it. For many people, cooking is a chore. It’s one more thing that we have to do every day when all we want to do is rest and recover from our day at work. We dread it and look for ways to cheat the process or avoid it completely.

To reframe how you view cooking, eliminate the parts of cooking that add to our stress. Try to give yourself plenty of time so that you don’t feel rushed. Consider prepping parts of your meal ahead of time when you don’t feel pressed against a deadline. Don’t force yourself to cook recipes you don’t enjoy. There are too many great options to choose from to settle for cooking a meal you’re not looking forward to actually eating.

Once you eliminate the stress tied to cooking, approach it from a state of mindfulness. Be present in the moment and let the negatives from the rest of your day fade away for a little while. It might take a little practice, but you can make cooking a positive experience. And once you do, you will find yourself the beneficiary of a range of therapeutic aspects of cooking.

Here are some of the key self care benefits related to cooking:

1. Increased Sense of Calm

When you achieve a state of mindfulness when cooking, you’ll find yourself benefitting from the calming aspects of it. Stress from work or your family or other commitments are not important, even if only for a brief period of time. You can worry about them later. And odds are, when that time comes, you’ll be more mentally prepared to face those issues.

2. Mimics Meditation

Mindfulness is traditionally associated with practices such as meditation and yoga. In fact, it’s one of the reasons why many are drawn to those activities. With the right outlook, you can bring that same mindset to cooking.

3. Makes You Smile More

Cooking is a gratifying experience. You end up with delicious food you get to eat, you feel like you accomplished something, and you can practice flexing your creative muscles. All of these can give you a (sometimes much needed) boost of joy.

4. Provides a Low Stress Environment

We’ve already discussed how to start removing the stress from cooking. Once you do it, you give yourself a bit of a sanctuary that you can turn to daily.

5. Sharpens New Skills

There are countless ingredients, techniques, and variations to recipes. Try something new, whether that’s an ingredient you’ve never eaten before, a fun new kitchen tool, or a recipe different from what you’re used to. You’ll learn something new, and might even find something you like better.

6. Bolsters Confidence

Sometimes your cooking attempts will fail. But as with everything, practice makes perfect. You’ll get a nice boost of confidence when you succeed in making a particular recipe, especially if it’s one that you haven’t been able to pull off before.

7. Develops Focus

In order to cook mindfully, shed other worries and focus on the moment. As it turns out, focus can be strengthened just like a muscle. Sure, you’re focusing on getting a dish cooked, but improving your focus in the kitchen will transfer nicely to focusing on tasks outside the kitchen.

Cooking doesn’t have to be a chore. Approach it from a state of mindfulness and you can find that cooking will not only nourish your body but your mind as well.

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8. Strengthens Your Senses

Cooking uses all of your senses like few other activities. Taste, touch, sight, smell, and even hearing can give vital cues to the progress of your cooking. And like focus, practicing being aware of what all of these senses are telling you will transfer to other times as well.

Cooking doesn’t have to be a chore. Approach it from a state of mindfulness and you can find that cooking will not only nourish your body but your mind as well.