If I had to describe my mental and physical state from the last few weeks, it could simply be put as stressed. If you were to ask me the same question in about three weeks, the answer would most likely be the same. Between managing classes, studying for exams, and extracurriculars, all while balancing a social life and tackling every other impending thought that life has to offer — it’s hard not to feel stressed. Finding a hobby or outlet to relieve stress is imperative, whether that’s going to the gym, journaling, or taking a walk. To each their own in the ways we alleviate stress, but I classify as a chronic stress baker. Whenever my house smells like baked goods, chances are I have a test in at least 24 hours. Anytime I find myself remotely stressed out or honestly just feeling down, you can most likely find me in the kitchen slaving away at my stand mixer. If you’re looking for a new stress relief tactic to implement into your life, I could not recommend baking more.
Honestly, baking in itself is a kind of stressful process. One wrong measurement or missed ingredient almost always results in a failed or ugly project. I cannot count the number of times I have had to trash my work or rage quit halfway through a baking project. So what exactly is it about baking that so many people like me take relief in?
Like most stress-relieving activities, the kitchen becomes a safe space away from all the things nagging at my brain. Baking lets the baker take the reins of the situation. Most of the time, when I find myself stressed, it’s usually because I feel like I don’t have control of a situation. If I could describe stress, I would say it feels like you’re being crushed under the weight of everything on your mind. When you bake the precision of each measurement and how your final baked good looks is in your hands, literally. When I fall into a stress-baking rhythm, I feel like I can finally breathe.
It’s comforting to know that anything that goes wrong can only happen if I let it; no outside forces can interfere with what I am doing. Most of the time I have a recipe to follow, and while at this point in my long-term baking journey, I just use recipes as a vague guideline rather than an instruction. The motion of a step-by-step process already laid out for me puts my mind at ease, letting me mindlessly work at something and not think too hard about what I have to do. A loaf of bread is a loaf of bread. There’s nothing that complex about it and there are no huge social or mental complexities to worry about.
There is no greater rush of satisfaction than when whatever you’re baking turns out just as you imagined. For something you made with your own bare hands from start to finish to turn out well, and if you so choose to share with friends and family, be enjoyed by yourself and others is beyond gratifying. Maybe it’s the gift giver in me, but when I turn my stress, woes, and worries into a trouble-free sweet treat, which most times I then choose to share with those around me, I feel genuinely happy, often forgetting whatever woe set off a baking induced trance to begin with. There’s a science to baking, all bakers are essentially chemists — just replace the bunsen burners for ovens and the periodic table with a spice cabinet. The activity of baking is intellectually enriching without even realizing it, and beyond the literal science of baking, there’s a psychological science to the craft as well.
For stress bakers like me, baking is our creative outlet. In a study published in the Journal of Positive Psychology, it was found that individuals who partook in a creative activity each day reported being happier and more enthusiastic. There is this idea of human flourish, which the study describes as “a state of optimal functioning accompanied by feelings of meaning, engagement, and purpose in life” (Everyday Creative Activity as a Path to Flourishing, 2016). To take a portion of your time out of your day to do something for yourself, you give yourself meaning and purpose, which allows you as a human being to flourish. No one enjoys living in a constant state of distress and in a Smithsonian article I found by Danny Lewis, baking is what many well-known bakers use to help cope with strong feelings of depression. Like the 2014 champ of “Great British Bake Off,” who is quoted in the article explaining how baking is what puts them in control of their being. Baking certainly is no cure for any mental unwellness of any kind, but in my own experience, it’s been a very helpful way of managing strong emotions and feelings.
Baking is a meditative process; when I bake, I enter this zone of hyperfixation on whatever it is I am creating. For me to bake is to knead, sift and stir all my feelings of stress, sadness, anger, or whatever else has gotten the better of me into an uncomplicated confection. Baking honestly grounds me: every time I bake, I leave the kitchen feeling elated with satisfaction in my creation. So take it from me, next time you’re feeling worked up about an obligation, exam, or even a social dilemma, step into the kitchen and try baking a batch of cookies or whatever your heart (or stomach) desires, and trust me your friends will thank you later.