Thought you read that wrong? Can spending time in the kitchen really contribute to making you a better person? Well, research says that yes, spending time in the kitchen, cooking, baking, and preparing meals can positively affect a person’s mood.
In the modern age, with everything in life so fast-paced, finding the time to cook or prepare meals for either yourself or your family is quite hard. Even cooking itself becomes so hectic and hurried that people start investing in smart appliances to make lives more manageable, and so that they can do more important things rather than spend time in the kitchen.
However, there is something therapeutic when you start spending time in the kitchen and actually put thought into every dish or meal you prepare. Yes, simple recipes found on cookbooks and the Internet might help, but what people might have been missing all this time is some real inspiration. Turns out, spending time in the kitchen while preparing meals has several positive impacts on an individual’s psychological health.
Increasing Inspiration and Organization
Before digging into the actual preparation of meals, of course, you have to familiarize yourself with your own kitchen first. It might have been so long since you last worked in the kitchen, so you probably have forgotten where to locate specific kitchen tools. Not only that, but you can also check whether or not your kitchen cabinets need some refacing and reorganization.
Most kitchen cabinets don’t get as much attention and maintenance compared to other parts of the kitchen or the house in general, so maybe now’s the time to revamp them. Perhaps it’s time for you to hire experts in kitchen renovation, like cabinet refacing in Kansas City, to organize your kitchen cabinets and tools. Through this, you will gain much more energy and inspiration, considering that your kitchen underwent a makeover.
Develops Altruism
Spending time in the kitchen means cooking or preparing meals either for yourself or for other people [could be your family]. This act develops a trait called altruism or selflessness, and this can add positive value to your life.
Serving other people, preparing meals for other people, putting every thought or detail into something for other people produces an element of selflessness because you are putting other people’s needs first before yours. Your love language might also be through acts of service given to others, and spending time in the kitchen can significantly affect and develop this trait.
Promotes Self-Care
Confidence is an integral part of taking care of one’s self. So yes, cooking can boost your confidence and promote self-care. In the same way of cooking for other people, you might be just preparing a meal for yourself, and that’s good. You’re actually taking the time to care for yourself by making your own meal, and knowing that your body is significant and that it needs feeding.
Think about it, when you prepare your own meal, you’re also saving money because you’re not eating out in a fancy restaurant or in a fast food chain. More than that, you are sending a message to your mind that you are important, and that you are valued. Cooking has so much more meaning than just chopping vegetables and boiling soup after all.
Practices Mindfulness
Cooking requires focus. Things could definitely go wrong if you lose your focus or you get distracted easily. Mindfulness is good for your mental health. It allows you to still think despite foggy and hurried situations.
Aside from that, cooking can also increase mindfulness in a sense that you get to remember or reconnect with people through memories of cooking together, a familiar meal or dish being prepared, or a recipe passed on from generation to generation. In some cases, people say that they get to relive happy memories of meal prepping with loved ones and remember close friends and family members because of certain dishes.
Creates Special Bonds
Getting to cook is one thing. But getting to cook with someone is another. Preparing meals together with a particular person, or a group of people creates special bonds and memories. It brings intimacy and closeness while also being able to express your love and care for each other.
Wrapping Up
Spending time in the kitchen is more than just cooking and preparing meals. According to experts, it really helps in honing your personality. Not only that but it also significantly contributes positive impact to your overall mental and emotional health.
In the same way, cooking also builds a sense of trust [in yourself and in other people], purpose, belonging, intimacy, and closeness; all of which are significant contributors to one’s mental health. If these things start falling apart, then it can most likely lead to depression or damage your positive wellness.