You’ve done everything you can think of to deal with your worry, like running and pulling weights. Don’t worry, a lot of people understand how you feel. Everyone has a busy life that makes them stressed, and they need to find the best way to calm their body, mind, and spirit.
It’s likely that you haven’t tried cooking as a way to relax. Yes, cooking. Most of the time, cooking is just something we have to do, but it can be so much more. Why? Let us look.
Good health
No doubt about it—people who eat at home tend to eat much better. If you eat out, you’re probably filling up on highly prepared foods, which are bad for your health whether you like them or not. Getting more sugar, salt, and calories makes you more likely to get sick and makes you more likely to start being overweight.
You choose what goes into your food when you cook it at home. In other words, you choose how much sugar, salt, and other things will be on your plate and in your body. You can relax when you cook at home because you know what’s in the food you’re eating.
Fun fact: Families that eat together are happy and have better ties. Start the stove, make something for your family, and then take it easy with them. You’ll feel less worried in the long run if you talk about your problems and your successes with people you care about.
Feel smelly
Yes, not everyone has a family. Some people live alone in their homes or flats. That doesn’t mean they shouldn’t cook, though. In fact, if you do it right, cooking can be fun. Cooking can be thought of as a form of therapy. Leave your worries outside the kitchen door when you walk in.
Put some veggies in a pot and let them boil to start. Don’t leave the kitchen this time, though. Just stay there and let those wonderful smells take you somewhere else. Could it be your dad’s farm or your aunt’s house in the country? Carefully add some spices, and feel your stress melt away like butter in a pan. Let your sense of smell take you to places you can’t even imagine.
Mood
If cooking carefully and slowly is not your thing, you might want to change your whole kitchen. Some people only like to cook when their kitchen is set up just right. So, instead of buying food again, you could try making changes to your kitchen.
Put up some new cabinets and arrange the spice jars the way you like them. Get rid of the old oven and buy a cheap single electric oven to replace it. Then do what you need to do.
If music gets you going, don’t forget to blast those speakers and turn on the radio. You set the rules for your home, so follow them. Do not cook the way your mom did just because that’s how she did it. Do something that calms you down and then start cutting, baking, and cooking.
It can be just as relaxing to cook in a room that makes you feel great as it is to spend time with your partner.
Plan ahead
Making dinner plans ahead of time can also help you unwind, especially after a long day at work. We feel safe when we know what and how we will prepare when we get home. So, plan your meals ahead of time to save time and stress.
Of course, I do make extra meals sometimes. Since you never know what could happen, it’s a good idea to keep a meal in the fridge that you can just heat up in the microwave.
At the end of the day, only you know what calms you down. You can try a different way of cooking if you find that one doesn’t work for you. Try out different ways of cooking and see where they lead you.
