


photo taken from www.johnwhaite.com
Laura’s story echoes John’s feelings of the importance of this, and how baking can help. “It’s all about control…when it comes to baking, I am always in charge…I can lose myself in it, and keep negativity and numbness at bay. Making something beautiful that I’m proud of also helps me get back some of the sense of self-worth that depression eats away.” You can read more about Laura’s story on www.mind.org. Baking is more energetic than you think


photo from www.myvmc.com
Baking encourages creativity“When we’re being creative, our brains release dopamine, a natural anti-depressant. Creativity that takes concentration is a non-medicinal way of getting a feel-good high” (Robin Shreeves, March 13th 2018, MNN Mother Nature Network.)Jamie Elmer (Healthline.com, December 22nd 2017) advocates choosing a recipe which is suitable for you. Start with one which you feel you can achieve rather than jumping in at the deep end. Having a feeling of success is important. A complex recipe may seem very overwhelming, but also, for some people who like structure, they may find complex recipes appealing. Baking is a safe activity for challenging yourself. Pushing your skills, providing an activity to completely absorb yourself in, and in which to forget about any worries you may have. It’s a regular occurrence in my classes when someone will say, “Where did those two hours go?” or comment on how engrossed they had become in the tasks. Most cake decorators I know can tell you of a time where they completely missed their lunch as they were so involved in the cake they were working on they lost track of time!“There is a growing recognition in psychology research that creativity is associated with emotional functioning,” Tamlin Conner (November 17th 2016, Journal of Positive Psychology). Researchers followed 658 people for about 2 weeks. Doing small creative tasks everyday (like cooking or baking) made the group feel more enthusiastic and more likely to continue the pursuit the next day. They suggested that people who frequently take part in small creative projects report feeling more relaxed and happier in their everyday lives. A little creativity every day can go a long way to creating a feeling of happiness and satisfaction in the bustle of daily life. Baking can be social



Here are my kids proving the point!
Before I bring this blog post to a close, I have to mention The Depressed Cake Shop. I’m going to use their own description to introduce them to you.“A global community that promotes self care through the power of creativity and uses it to raise awareness and donations for mental health initiatives around the world.”They encourage bakers around the globe to join forces and set up pop up bake sales, where grey features heavily as the colour on the bakes, but always with a pop of colour to symbolise hope. It not only encourages the raising of money for mental health charities but also encourages people to meet and discuss any difficulties they may have and seek help. Well worth a further look, so go and find out more over on their website.
