Cooking As Therapy, Definitely A Beneficial Tool

Cooking is one of those activities that combines art, technology and knowledge. It is an area where culture and dedication are used for a simple assignment. We actually eat the landscape that surrounds us. We prepare it based on the traditions and the knowledge we have acquired. Can cooking as therapy help?

You can look at cooking in several different ways. One way is the most practical. You cook when you need to cook and in whatever way you can prepare something with the intention of meeting your nutritional needs. Another way to view cooking is commercial. After all, the preparation of food is also a business.

The most effective, creative and social way of looking at cooking is when we focus on the pleasure we find in cooking. We also see how others enjoy the results. You can prepare the food without haste.

You are then meant to pass on affection and create a special moment for the people you love. Then cooking also ceases to be a professional assignment. It then becomes more of a personal expression. Moreover, cooking can be considered as therapy at those special moments.

Sensory awareness, the first contribution of cooking as therapy

Cooking is one of those activities that involves all the senses. Throughout the entire process, your senses remain active until the end. Sight, hearing, touch and, of course, smell must all be put to work during this work. Basically the same thing happens when we eat.

In this way, cooking becomes a real rainbow of sensations. So it is an essential experience. Cooking today is one of the few activities that makes this procession of sensory impressions possible. It is also always well worth it.

Cooking is a creative experience

One of the most interesting aspects of cooking is that it is not an activity where the result is ever the same. The same person can prepare a dish twice.

Yet it will never be exactly the same. Two people can work out the same recipe. However, the taste will be different. To that extent it is a very personal activity. That also means that it is very creative.

Moreover, it is one of those tasks that allows an infinite amount of variation. In every unique step it welcomes change. Sometimes this happens in the way we prepare certain foods and sometimes in the way we present the food.

We also find that variation in the ingredients we used and how long we cook them. The extras we add also play a role. Cooking is pure creativity.

Patience and concentration

Cooking is also one of those activities that involves sequential steps. In this respect, too, we can regard cooking as therapy. More than in other activities, you have to complete one step before moving on to the next. Cooking requires patience. After all, the cooking times do not depend on you.

In the same way, you also perform many tasks while you cook, sometimes even at the same time. For example, you set the dough aside so that it can rest. In the meantime, start with the filling. Or you prepare everything for the next step while something is cooking.

This requires you to focus on what you are doing and only this. Cooking therefore stimulates our concentration. Here too we see the effects of cooking as therapy.

Solve problems and make decisions

Cooking is unpredictable. For example, you are preparing something and the chicken burns because you were distracted. Or you realize that the food does not have the texture and composition you wanted. All those small problems require a solution. So the exercise is to solve these problems. So it stimulates your intelligence.

It is a fact that you have to make many decisions during the preparation of a dish. The recipe may tell you that you are supposed to bake something for 10 minutes.

However, you realize that this is not long enough. That requires you to analyze the situation. After all, you have to think about what you will do. Cooking thus stimulates your ability to make decisions.

Relaxing and cozy

When you have a positive attitude, cooking becomes a relaxing activity. It’s important that you don’t cook in a nervous way or expect perfect results. Ideally, prepare everything in a calm manner and keep an open mind.

Cooking with your partner or with friends can be a very pleasant and enjoyable experience. In the same way, we show affection when we serve a dish that we have made with our own hands. So, with good posture, this activity can be incredibly enjoyable and rewarding.

We don’t have to be experts to start cooking either. A good attitude and a basic plan are more than enough. It is an activity that you can do at home and is available to everyone.

In addition, the psychological and social benefits of cooking are undeniable. Cooking as therapy really works. You should definitely try to prepare something today!