Di Sara Spandrio
Experts have suggested to improve cooking skills and to dedicate ourself to try new recipes during lockdown. Mainly because eating in restaurants is impossibile, relying on ready meals is not the healthiest choice and lots of people don’t feel safe about buying delivery food, but also because, due to the fact we have a lot of free time, cooking seems to be one of the best solution against boredom and anxiety.
Indeed cooking could be a moment of conviviality with our family or roommate, a way of entertainment and a satisfaction. Rediscover ancient traditions or create new recipes could be a real reason of gratification! Actually the theory that food can help people to fight agains mental health is known since a while. For example in 2014 the British Journal Of Occupational Therapy has published an article which explains how a cooking course has developed the concentration and the sense of gratification of twelve patients recovered for mental health issues. Moreover the Newport Academy, a mental health cure center in Connecticut, has confirmed the results and has integrated the traditional cure with cooking classes. They said that being concentrated on cooking times, dosages and difficult preparations helps to move the bad thoughts away.
In addiction, seeing good results while cooking increase self confidence and reduce the sense of being useless or unable. Cooking is a good solution also because it is funny and it encourages creativity, so it reduces the stress of being in therapy.
