Self-Care In The Kitchen

Feel Whole Challenge Day 20: Take Time for Some Self-care

I’ve always been an advocate for self-care in the kitchen. I believe it is the perfect place to find yourself, to focus, to concentrate and to detach from the outer world and spend time on your inner world. The kitchen is also where your day begins, and it’s the heart of the home, so it extends beyond personal needs and becomes a central place where everyone gathers to share and celebrate and start and end their days.

If the kitchen is in disarray, then it has the potential to upset the balance and energy of the entire home and everyone in it. Because of this, it’s so important to have a system to keep everything flowing efficiently. Here are a handful of things I am sure to do to return order and flow to my kitchen and life.

Organize the Pantry + Stock the Fridge

Having all parts of my kitchen organized and cleaned the night before offers order and mental clarity when I wake up and enter the space in the morning. If there is chaos in the kitchen, it always ends up affecting my spirit negatively, which carries on into the rest of the day.

The same goes for knowing where everything is—I end upbringing that same energy of confidence and abundance into the remainder of the day. Having a stocked and organized pantry and fridge is a surefire way to get you starting every day off on an amazing foot.

Meal Prepping

Meal prepping isn’t only beneficial when you’re on a special diet; it also sets you up for success by making you feel prepared and eager for the day ahead. When the meals are already prepped and planned out, it frees up extra time and money.

We prep many things, but we highly recommend prepping overnight oats at night for breakfast because they hold up very well in the fridge for a few days and you only need to add your favorite toppings and personalize your container right before you eat!

Recycle\Repurpose Kitchen Scraps

Recycling is something that helps me feel in balance with my energy. It both helps me minimize my footprint and also makes me feel in harmony with my immediate environment. It's empowering because it gives me an understanding of where things belong and reminds me that everything has a purpose, a place and plays a vital role in the cycle of life. I also love repurposing scraps that I may initially want to toss.

I like to challenge myself to get creative with what I do with them—usually, they end up in a big pot of vegetable broth. When I do this, my energy feels less sludgy and a part of the flow of it all.

Baking as Self-Care

Baking requires focus, intuition and confidence. These same skills can be applied to the real world too. It’s an activity where you can get lost in the process.

When you bake, you’re gathering yourself and after you’re gathering people together to share what you’ve made with them. Essentially it’s a wonderful energy, and that energy extending outward is so gratifying for me.

Writer: Jerrelly Guy Jerrelle is a writer, food stylist, food photographer and recipe contributor. She’s passionate about creating wholesome meat-free recipes with soul. With the release of her cookbook, she continues to create meals with healthier alternatives that are still fun and loaded with flavor.