Calming anxiety through the therapeutic act of baking
on December 15, 2016
Lia Freitas is an Oakland resident who has had a passion for baking since childhood. Now, she’s a professional baker who works out of a collective kitchen in downtown Oakland. She’s also one of the 2.2 million Americans with obsessive-compulsive disorder and in the past, she’s suffered from generalized anxiety disorder and an eating disorder. Her mental health–its emotional and physical toll–sometimes feels like it’s taking over her life.
Baking for Freitas is more than just a hobby and a profession; it’s a form a therapy. When she bakes, she can channel her extra mental energy into the work she does with her hands and her mind settles down. Partially because of baking, she’s been able to see her disorder as something that can be harnessed in a positive way.
The music in the video above is “Friday Morning” by Kevin MacLeod.
2 Comments
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I really enjoyed The Baker video. I grew up working at my parents bakery and really enjoyed the feeling of working hard with a calm mind. Now days, I have mostly a desk job as a researcher and rarely approach the same level of peacefulness. I like to get back into it by baking at home, thanks for inspiring me!
Amazing Post. Completely agree, anxiety is the biggest problem today. Any time you are depressed, improving yourself helps greatly. When you feel depressed, don’t sit and watch TV and then sleep-in late. Get out and do something that will make you feel like you’ve accomplished something. You can also take guidance from http://www.martine-voyance.com if you are dealing with some past related issues, physic reading can help you deal with anything that’s going wrong in your life.