Sunday night is to balance out heavy reading with something lighter. I am currently also working as a lifestyle content writer so, let’s talk about life, in a fun and lighter way, like cooking, baking during the pandemic..
Our social media, especially Instagram probably full of people sharing food pictures. Before pandemic, it was food that they bought, but lately, everyone is showing pictures of the cooking process, homemade dishes, and baked goods.
Some of my friends are showing how irritated they are by it, some just appreciate how people are taking new hobbies or doing old hobbies. Some, shift their hobby of sharing restaurant food pictures into food that they made. I am the one who recalls an old hobby, then I learned about the psychological meaning behind it.
Why cooking and baking become the new “IT” hobbies during the pandemic?
People are looking for activities to keep themselves busy during quarantine, to distract themselves from negative thoughts. Most people chose cooking and baking during this pandemic.
In the past few months, cooking channels have appeared more in social media algorithm. It shows us how to make something easy like The Mythical Kitchen’s “How to Scramble Egg Good”, until the complex overnight sourdough bread or 3-days croissant.
If you type “anxiety baking” or “stress baking” on Twitter, a lot of recipes come out lately. The Atlantic once discussed anxiety baking and “procrastbaking”, which shows a phenomenon of American millennial who use baking on weekends as an escape from work-related stress.
It is about the process and it is healthy for our well-being
I personally think, when people bake or cook, they actually care more about the process more than the result. FYI, not everyone likes or gifted with baking or cooking! If you don’t like it, you will be more stressed out by them. I do not like cooking, for me it is a torture, but baking is a meditation process.
When you use your hands to stir the batter, pour them it into the pan, or knead bread dough, you feel integrated with this process. You will not use your hands to search Covid-19 news on your phone. Serotonin can also be activated by baking and cooking, so it is very good for mental health, although the sensation may be different from exercise.
It is a form of self-care and mindfulness
A Psychiatrist from Columbia University, Philip Muskin also stated that baking is mindful. Mindfulness in baking makes you pay attention to what you are doing now, not the past or the future; you really are in the present. Therefore the effects are felt the same as meditation or breathing exercises.
Baking and cooking on the weekend then become a form of self-care as well as a means of diverting thoughts from work and negative news that circulate daily. We can be distracted and feel calm at the same time because we have the skill to produce something delicious.
We certainly don’t want to miss an update about Covid-19, but there are times when you have to stop because they can cause stress. By having a plan to bake, you can reduce checking the news, to only 1-2 times a day.
You will use the rest of the time is to find new recipes that you can try and be proud of. Maybe, you are saving money now, and buying food is more expensive compared to making your own food or dessert, so why not make your own treat?
Back to baking, you will have to focus on the baking process. Baking demand preciseness, different from cooking. But focusing on the process, you don’t have any chance to keep scrolling on the news.
You feel that you are in control, even though maybe you are not
Baking makes us feel in control and also increases creativity. Especially in the present where we feel we are losing control of our life. All things happen very quickly and beyond predictions, while as humans, we always desire control.
By cooking and baking during quarantine, you feel you have control over what is being done. You start something and you know what is the end result. Therefore, some people that I know were having a breakdown when they failed, the only control that they now have is the new hobby in the kitchen!
For people who like to experiment, like me, we also sometimes curious about the end result when we made something new. Therefore, it enhances our creativity.
Then, what about sharing cooking pictures?
Food is something everyone can relate to, whether something savory or something sweet. Everyone must be liking something. Basically, cooking and eating together are things that bond us with family and friends. Sharing photos of food that we make, especially when it is hard to meet your family, become something that we have to cherish and remember.
Photo sharing is our way of sharing something valuable, especially new skills that we develop during the quarantine. Cooking and baking are not easy especially during a pandemic, and we surely proud to show the world about these skills. Sharing photos becomes a self-rewarding process for our hard work in making something.
As we mentioned before, cooking and baking nowadays are focusing on the process. Therefore people will keep sharing it, whether they are succeeded or not. They can show their progress from being a total amateur to a home cooking expert, and they want to share the journey.
People also like the experience of being reposted by their favorite chef or influencer that inspires them. They want people to see how they would modify a recipe to meet their special diet, allergies, or intolerance.
They probably only want to show off, but probably also want to inspire others, or they simply just want to document their hobby during the pandemic. For whatever reason, I am happy for them.
Have you jumped into cooking and baking bandwagons during this time?
Disclaimer: This article of mine previously published in Rukita Stories, I altered, put more ideas, and changed it into English for this blog.
The Siren of Novgorod 