Let’s be honest – life is stressful! Stressors are often present, no matter what your story: work stress, school stress, relationship or kid stress – it’s all a part of life. Mix up enough of those at once, and a person can begin to feel stuck! People often come to therapy for this very reason and are trying to figure out a way through the stress that is keeping them stuck.
Baking is a science. It is following instructions, using prescribed methods, and creating something beautiful out of something uniform. The disparity between a teaspoon of salt and a tablespoon can spell the difference between a recipe turning out delicious or resulting in a disaster!
It’s time to step into the kitchen… at least metaphorically. If baking is a science that can create beauty, then what would happen if we apply that same approach to our own schedules and routines? Here’s a simple recipe to help get things moving from stuck to healthy:
Instructions: Combine all of the ingredients below in whatever order you like. Try it for 7 days and evaluate the results at the end. If it doesn’t taste just right, repeat with some substitutions that fit your needs until you feel peaceful.
- Clean your home
- Be intentional with your time
- Download a calendar app
- Use it!
- Join a gym
- Set a schedule for when you can go
- Go!
- Clean out your inbox
- Wake up early
- Find a quiet place
- Be still
- Drink coffee
- Pray!
If you’re still feeling stuck, maybe baking isn’t what you need. So stop baking, and start cooking! Cooking is art and allows for more spontaneity. You may start with a recipe, but over time you add a little more of this, a little less of that, you chop things up a little different, and before long, what was once bland and familiar is now a gastronomic wonder!
If baking is a science and cooking is an art, we need to be more creative in our own lives. If the grind of life is getting us down, it’s time to break the pattern. Go to a movie, take up a class, learn a language, take a walk! Often stress can provide a myopic view of our world. We find ourselves saying things like “it is what it is” or “someday I’ll do…” Sometimes it is not what we think it is, and even if it is, things can change. So, maybe it’s time to get into the kitchen and spice things up! No recipe for this one. Just pick your ingredients and choose your own adventure. The more we feel stuck in the old, the more likely it is that we need to try something new! One definition of hope is that change is in fact possible. Maybe it’s time to change up your recipe and discover what is possible!
