Where do you find yourself when you’re stressed or suffering from anxiety? For me, I find myself practicing self-care in the kitchen. Being in the kitchen can help you on days where you feel your mental health is declining. It can provide a feeling of comfort, happiness, and relaxation.
On days where I find myself not feeling my best, cooking a new recipe tends to help me better about myself. It gives me confidence that I can’t really describe, but it feels incredible knowing that I was able to achieve something. But cooking isn’t the only thing you can do to practice self-care in the kitchen. Here are five ways to practice self-care in the kitchen:
Cook Your Favorite Meal
My favorite meal to cook is baked mac and cheese that I found online except I change the noodles to chickpea noodles, and add some veggies to it. While it can be a bit annoying to follow the process, the taste of the cheesy goodness never fails to bring a smile to my face.
Turn on the stove, and start cooking your favorite meal, whether it’s avocado toast, two eggs over medium or pasta carbonara. Your mind will get distracted by your excitement of the food, and your mouth watering.
Allow Yourself to Have Dessert
Do you have a sweet tooth? I do. I love dessert, even if it can be unhealthy. Yet sometimes, you just need to treat yourself with something chocolatey, sweet and delicious. A treat, once in a while, can be useful for your tastebuds.
Do be careful with the amount of sugar you eat when dealing with anxiety. Sugar does not help anxiety, so don’t indulge in an entire chocolate cake. A slice is fine.
Have a Hot Cup of Tea
Recently, I became an advocate for drinking tea. Tea can help your body, brain, and create a feeling of relaxation. Obviously, this depends on the type of tea you drink. Hot tea is also known to help with stress. According to an article by TranQool, tea contains theanine, which is “responsible for improving cognition and memory [and] it also causes the brain to exhibit more a-waves.”
Don’t know what to tea to drink? I definitely suggest drinking herbal tea. A few suggestions include chamomile tea, peppermint tea, and ginger tea.
Start Your Morning With A Smoothie
When I started to go to therapy, my therapist gave me plenty of ways to help release my stress, help my anxiety, and cope with my depression. She also suggested improving my diet to help. And you know what, it has helped drastically. Eating proper foods rich in vitamins and minerals can help boost moods and help deal with anxiety.
I am not the type of person to eat a lot of greens, so I tend to put them in my smoothies. Try to make smoothies that have a lot of greens, and don’t have a lot of sugar. You can find some of my favorite smoothies here.
Drink a Cold Glass of Water
If we are not adequately hydrated, the first way that dehydration affects the brain and alters how we think and feel is by slowing circulation, according to an article by aifc. The less water you drink, the more your cognitive function is impaired.
By staying hydrated, your mental health (and physical health) will improve. Keep track of how much you drink, and start looking into your brain’s signs of dehydration.
