Therapeutic baking

I was roaming around the bookshop the other day, as is my want. Books really are so lovely to look at, hold and admire. My favourites are, of course, anything to do with eating and/or making things so I quite quickly found myself in the cookbook section and this title caught my eye. I have read a lot of books by Marion Keyes and have loved them so the idea of a cookbook from her was enticing. However, this isn't just a cookbook, it's an idea.
 An idea that cooking, or more specifically baking can make you feel better. Marion suffers from depression and I can very gratefully say that I don't so my baking doesn't help me in the same way as her baking helps her. However, when I am preoccupied by something, or stressed by something - I bake. It is my fall back position in times of strife.

 For me, it is incredibly therapeutic. I have to concentrate on the recipe so my worries go out of my head as it is filled with measurments and oven temps. It can be done with lots of action going on around me, music, fighting children,radio. I can do homework help or sort out relationship issues as I bake. And perhaps best of all, I get something delicious to eat at the end, and a sense of satisfaction which sometimes can be very important on a difficult day.

 I truly feel Marion may be on to something here.
On that particular trip to the bookshop I didn't buy any books but I did buy the idea that without baking my life wouldn't be quite the same.

Megan