Bake the Pain Away: the Benefits of Baking for Mental Health

How this food copywriter is finally catching onto ‘baking for happiness’

Some cream and strawberry filled Victoria sponge cupcakes that I made

As a copywriter, one thing I’m good at is making other people feel good. It’s one of the pleasures of my job to see little faces light up when I point out a brand’s great attributes and then commit them to paper for all to see. 

When it comes to myself, however, it’s a different story. At the risk of sounding “woe is me”, I’m slow to catch on to doing things that will make me happy. 

But every time I bake, I remember that it’s one of the easy things I can fit into my day that’ll make me feel content. It’s a mindful process that keeps negativity at bay (aside from those, “shit, have I added too much flour?” moments) and makes you focus completely on the matter at hand, step by step. 

There are a lot of champions out there who talk about the benefits of baking for our mental health, so I’ve by no means had an Ulrika Moment* all by myself, but with a few ingredients that can be kept in the cupboard for a rainy mental health day, you can create something whose process is as delicious for your dopamine levels as the finished product is. 

Making diary, head and kitchen space

Beginning the process of baking requires space: you need to clear an hour in your diary, make some room in the kitchen, and then empty your head of all other thoughts. This is mindful step number one, I guess – and creating time for yourself is often the hardest bit. 

Then it’s a case of making mental space for the numbers, which for this wordy person requires a little extra concentration. For a standard sponge cake you need to consider the oven temperature (180 degrees), number of ingredients (four - actually five including the teaspoon of baking powder), and quantity of ingredients (I use my mum’s “4, 4, 4, 2” approach: four ounces of sugar, self-raising flour and sugar plus two eggs). 

Do this bit slowly and carefully. Being measured is good for us, not just the ingredients. 

Choosing your method for success

When it comes to combining your ingredients, you can go as complex or as simple as you like. The all-in-one method is perfectly fine, but you may want to cream the sugar and the butter before adding the sifted flour and beaten eggs. Yes, you could use a food mixer, but a great brain diversion is to experience the tingling sensation of ‘cake mixer’s arm’, a condition I’ve just made up but believe me is real. 

Want a great tip for how to deal with crippling anxiety? Lick the spoon. Don’t tell me you don’t do that now you’re a grown-up – I know you’re lying. 

A chocolate cake topped with chocolate icing and Smarties that I made

Unashamedly devouring the fruits of our labours

I don’t think I’d be wrong in assuming that eating the cake divides bakers into two camps: 

Not Arsed about Eating It 

and 

This Is the Best Bit!

I do love tucking into the cake, especially when it’s still slightly warm and therefore a bit sticky, but it’s not the be-all and end-all for me. 

The devouring is fun, but it’s even more fun when it’s done with other people. One of the few things I miss about working in a busy office is taking in a baked creation and watching others tuck in, closing their eyes and going, “Mmm” a lot. 

If it’s good enough for Nadiya Hussain…

One of the most well-known bakers has terrible anxiety herself. Nadiya Hussain suffers from panic disorder and extolls the virtues of baking as a way to combat this condition. She says that for her, the benefits of baking extend way beyond the completed cake. 

Nadiya admits that she has an overactive mind, which I’m sure many of us can identify with, so baking is a form of therapy for her – in fact, she spends several months perfecting her recipes, which allows for many ‘therapy’ sessions over a year. 

I like this approach a lot: for baking not just to be a one-off event, but something to repeat over a long period of time with a structure and measurable results – perhaps we could take inspiration from this dedication to a therapeutic pastime too? 

The proof of the pudding is in the eating 

And there we have it – this woman who loves food writing and banging on about mental health is still only just catching on to the benefits of baking for peace of mind. But that’s OK, I’ve always been a late-to-the-party kinda gal, and it’s definitely better late than never. 

(Take note of that heading by the way: the proof is not in the pudding, but the eating itself - otherwise how on earth would this saying make sense?!)

If you’d like to hire a professional copywriter to write about your delicious food, or about mental health, or anything in the lifestyle genre just click the button below and let’s have a chat. 

*that was a deliberate mistake; as well as anxious, I’m highly immature.