With around one in four people experiencing a mental health problem at some stage in their lives, it’s important to be aware of how we’re feeling and to take steps to improve our mental wellbeing. Small, simple activities can often boost our mental health and help to combat depression – and one such activity is baking. That’s right – it turns out that whipping up that batch of triple choc, caramel and peanut butter brownies is actually good for you.

Here are the top five reasons baking is actually helping to boost your mental health – perhaps without you even realising it.

Baking is meditative

When you bake, you’re fully in the moment. You have to focus on the recipe at hand, carefully reading the method and weighing all the ingredients and keeping watch over your mixes. Your attention is on the food you’re preparing – which means you’re no longer thinking about whatever problems you might have been hung up on moments before. As a result, your mind is freed from any depressive thoughts and negative thought processes are stopped in their tracks. You may even have a fresh perspective once you’re finished, having taken time away from what’s worrying you.

Baking is a creative activity

When we create something, it generally gives us a sense of satisfaction and achievement. Indeed, psychologists have found that creative activities help improve our overall wellbeing. Whatever it is you like to create, it will always do you some good to engage in that activity. So if baking is your favourite pastime, then setting aside some time for it will give you the break you need and will help improve your mental health.

There are tangible goals that you can achieve

Whatever you’re baking, be it bread, cakes, biscuits or pastries, baking gives you an end result to aim for. Setting goals for ourselves is constructive in various ways, and helps us to really focus on what we’re doing. It also gives us a great sense of achievement when we reach our goal. With baking, the goal will generally be a realistic one we know we can achieve, meaning you’ll enjoy a tremendous sense of accomplishment and self-worth.

Baking makes other people happy, which can lift your spirits

It has been said that it’s better to give than to receive, and research has found that we do in fact benefit more from helping others than helping ourselves. The act of baking results in something tangible that’s made for sharing with friends and family – and when you see them savouring that first bite of cake, you can feel good that their happiness is because of you. Ultimately, creating something that others can enjoy makes us feel better and boosts our mental health.

When you’re successful in an activity, it can boost self-esteem

As with any activity, when we complete something successfully, we feel satisfied and generally quite good about ourselves. So, when we bake that bread, or make those scones, we automatically generate a positive feeling within ourselves, elevating our mood and ultimately, improving our self-esteem.

Now you’ve got every excuse to get in the kitchen and bake up a storm. But before you do so, you’re going to need the right baking supplies – find them with Yellow Pages.