By Rita Pagan, DES

Have you ever watched The Great British Bake Off? It has been my go-to “Coronavirus/helping with math/if I hear pivot one more time” guilty pleasure. Although, I must admit, the recipes aren’t things I would necessarily pin to my Pinterest board. Biscuits and sponge cakes have not gotten me through the past year for sure. Bring on the dark chocolate cake!

Baking is my go-to stress reliever. I don’t really even like eating what I bake but I get a sense of relaxation being in the kitchen following a set of directions. Maybe it’s the project manager in me. Love that flow chart of ingredients in a recipe!

Hearing about hobbies friends and family have picked up during this past year has been inspiring. I even learned how to make my own homemade, kid-approved, everything bagels thanks to a coworker.

A study published in The Journal of Positive Psychology found that people who take on projects such as baking or cooking reported feeling more relaxed and happier.

Do your body and your mind some good and relax with something you love to do. You’ll thank yourself later!

Rita Pagan, DES, is IPMI’s events and exhibits manager and in-house master baker.