This year Bake the World a Better Place falls within Mental Health Awareness Week, a campaign raising awareness for the importance of mental health for everyone. It may be a fortuitous coincidence but it does offer a chance for practices to enjoy both the calming and creative aspects of baking alongside a break from work to catch up with colleagues and unwind.
The importance of having a friendly atmosphere with an open dialogue in the workplace cannot be underestimated, with research from Mind confirming that 1 in 5 of those surveyed agreeing that they had called in sick to avoid work when asked how workplace stress had affected them. Small measures, such as gathering a team together to take a break and chat over a cup of tea and a slice of cake really can make a difference to the working day.
There are also benefits to the baking process, it can be calming to weigh and measure ingredients and the smell and taste of freshly baked goods can help to stimulate the senses. Involving a friend or colleague in the process is also a great way to have fun and combine creative ideas, especially if there is a bake off in sight!
Having some breathing space from the pressures of work and everyday life to engage with others over some food (particularly when that food is a delicious slice of cake) has proven mental health benefits, with research from the University of Oxford revealing that the more often people eat with others the more likely they are to feel happy and satisfied with their lives.
If you haven’t signed your practice up to come together over cake to help ease mental stress and have a fun break, follow the link here to get involved to Bake the World a Better Place!
