Worried? Tense? Try cooking and cleaning

As videos and posts on ‘quarantine cooking’ go viral, a look at the science of why mundane tasks help in times of stress and anxiety.

Chinese food websites like Xiachufang are full young people posting videos and pictures of themselves cooking while quarantined. The pictures are not the usual, stylised, highly Instagrammable fare. Just regular day meals, many of them first attempts by people who had never taken cooking seriously before — but were now discovering the joys and therapeutic value of it.

When you have less control over your activities and environment, doing something tangible with your hands can calm you and clear your mind. It helps that the results can also be delicious. (iStock)

“In times of stress and anxiety, resorting to mundane tasks that occupy the hands and clear the mind, helps,” says psychologist Kamna Chhibber of the Fortis Memorial Research Institute, Gurugram. “Additionally, in quarantine, you don’t have your regular routine, you have far less control over your activities and environment. Doing something with tangible, visible results helps ease restlessness, anxiousness and worry.”

This includes cooking, sorting your cupboards, taking on DIY or craft projects, redecorating, painting or doodling. For young adults, it has the additional attraction of uncovering hidden talents or skills — even if they are as simple as making an omelette or organising a closet.

Scheduling activity and keeping busy also helps give you the stability of routine, in a time of stress and uncertainty, says Chhibber.