Is there such a thing as Cooking Therapy?

What happens when you cook just because you want to cook? Not because anybody or anything requires it...

When my mind starts swirling like a tornado, I need to wipe my thoughts clean.

Sometimes I opt for a quiet meditation, eyes closed, palms open and resting gently on my thighs. I connect with the breath, my body. I pay attention to my heart. I start slowing down the storm of thoughts.

But sometimes I don’t want to be still. I want to be tactile. I want to create.

That’s when I step into the kitchen, grab those heavy jars from the shelf and line them up on an empty bench. This mise en place is a new beginning. A fresh start. The sweet anticipation of something wonderful to come.

Cooking takes many forms. It has the potential to be an act of presence, process and patience. But sometimes it feels like work. A big effort. Making the family dinner after a busy day. Preparing school lunches for your kids. Bulk cooking to get you through the week.

But what happens when you cook just because you want to cook? Not because anybody or anything requires it. Just because you feel like it. Because you want to put the demands of the world aside for one hour and create something. Because you feel like eating something delicious. That instead of popping open a packet of uninspiring cookies with a one year use-by-date you choose to grab the ingredients and mix and form them by hand, eating them straight out of the oven, all gooey and fresh.