People who bake say that they find it soothing. It is easy to see how it could give you a feeling of wellbeing as you go through the rituals of measuring out the ingredients, following instructions, combining things to create other things and creating tasty treats for you and your family to enjoy.
Now, a new study has shown that baking really is good for your mental and emotional health and wellness. One woman has even opened a pop-up shop called the Depressed Cake Shop, which she hopes will raise money for mental health charities and also get people talking about the issue.
It is the knowledge that baking (and the ritualistic process involved, such as kneading) can benefit mental health that has led to these pop-up bakeries appearing throughout the UK, starting during the first weekend in August and appearing in various venues such as London, Derby, Glasgow, North Yorkshire and Cardiff.
There is lots of evidence to suggest that this connection is a really good way of highlighting mental health issues, as well as helping those who struggle with problems such as depression. John Whaite, winner of the 2012 Great British Bake Off has even brought out a cookbook recently called ‘Recipes for Every Day and Mood’ which has one chapter dedicated to lifting the mood through baking. In this, he describes his own experience of depression and how he found baking to be meditative, describing it as destroying something to make something new, and talking about how you end up with a product that you are proud of and can show off to others.
Marian Keyes, a leading novelist, has also described her experiences of baking her way through depression, and has published a book called ‘Saved by Cake’ which describes how she used the soothing ritual of baking to help her get through her depression.
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