Therapy in the kitchen

It's no secret that I'm not great at relaxing, especially when life leaves me feeling stressed. I try all sorts to keep me calm and happy in times of stressy-ness. Examples include:

- relaxing baths before bed

- reading a book instead of playing on my ipad

- exercising regularly

- getting out for fresh air

- taking time out to see friends

- going for a massage

Recently, I've been surprising myself by choosing to cook on stressful days. I like cooking, and I positively love baking (although I'm one of those messy bakers who spends more than half the time trying and failing to clear up!). Still, normally these would be the "grab something out of the freezer"/"heat up some leftovers"/"order a takeaway" type evenings.

This week, chicken and mushroom pie:

Last week, toad in the hole:

And I genuinely feel more relaxed afterwards, which bodes well for getting a good night's sleep and generally feeling less hassled by life! Hurrah for relaxing!