Some days, the last thing you want to do is sit down with a blank notebook and "process your feelings." You've been processing all day. You're tired.
So don't sit down. Stand at the stove.
In cooking therapy, mindfulness isn't about sitting still and breathing. It's an active step: being present as you do each task. You're mindful while doing. That makes the kitchen one of the easiest places I know to check in with yourself at the end of a stressful day.
The idea is simple. While dinner cooks, there are little pauses: water coming to a boil, onions softening, a sauce that needs a few more minutes. Use one of those pauses for one question. Jot the answer on a notepad, the back of an envelope, or your phone. A sentence is plenty.
Here are ten journal prompts for a stressful day, matched to the moments when you'll have a minute to answer them.
While you wash your hands
1. What am I ready to rinse off from today?
When we wash our hands before cooking, we can also let go of a few old negatives. Name one thing from today you don't need to carry into the evening.
While the water comes to a boil
2. What started bubbling up in me today, and when did it start?
A pot of water doesn't boil all at once. Neither do we. Look back at the day and find the moment the heat went up.
3. If I could lower the heat on one thing tonight, what would it be?
On the stove, you turn the dial down and the bubbles settle. What's one dial you could turn down, even a little?
While you chop
4. What's the one piece of this problem I can handle tomorrow?
Chopping doesn't have to make you feel like you're in pieces. It can remind you to break a big worry into pieces that are small and manageable. Pick the first piece.
5. What's tangled up in my head right now?
Think of frisée, all tangled like nerve endings. Write down the tangle, and then imagine setting it on the side of the plate for the night.
Want a new prompt like these every day? There’s one waiting for you in the free Cooking Therapy app for iPhone, along with short guided audios in my voice. Download Cooking Therapy
While the onions soften
6. Where was I too hard on someone today, including myself?
Butter melting on warm toast is a lovely picture of softening: your words, your tone, even your judgment. Who or what could use a softer touch?
7. What would I say to a friend who had the day I just had?
Now say it to yourself.
While the sauce simmers
8. What am I worried about that can wait until tomorrow?
Write it on a sticky note and put it in the fridge. Tell yourself, "I'm going to chill on that." It sounds a little hokey, but it works.
9. What went right today, even a little?
We don't focus enough on what's going well and tend to ruminate on what we think isn't. Did you get dressed? Did you make dinner? That counts.
While you set the table
10. What am I bringing to the table tonight?
I start every cooking therapy session with this question. It isn't about the ingredients. It's about you. Tired? Hopeful? Short-fused? Just noticing is the point.
A few notes before you start
You don't need to answer all ten. One prompt on a stressful day is plenty. Pick the one that matches the moment you're in.
And if journaling feels like one more chore, skip the notebook entirely. Say the answer out loud to the pot. It won't judge you.
P.S. If this story resonated with you, please click the ❤️ below. It helps more readers discover TherapeuticBites and it lets me know what connected with you.
Cooking Therapy pioneer Debra Borden, LCSW, is the author of four books, including Cooking As Therapy - How to Improve Mental Health Through Cooking. Learn more here about her writing journey, how she became known as The Sous Therapist, and the stories that shape her work.