The festive season can be a triggering time, with binge and excess seeming part of the merriments; but the beginning of a new year offers many opportunities, not least a chance to kick-start a healthy diet alongside a new, clean way of thinking.
Just like we can eat to promote our physical health, we can also use the way we prepare our food to manage our mental health too. This is something I learned during my own hard-fought battle through therapy, though it can apply perfectly [if you wish to use it] as a new years' resolution!
It only takes a scroll through Instagram (you can follow me here) to see that the art of meal prepping (that is, organising your food into meals ahead of time) can evolve into a whole lifestyle of its own! Influencers and content creators around the world pack all types of cuisine into plastic film and Tupperware, gaining thousands of follows, from cash-strapped students to time-poor Mums. But my experience of meal prepping wasn't a colourful, joyous celebration of saved time and money; I was trying to save my mental health.
I was diagnosed with Bipolar (II) disorder in 2016 and quickly entered a therapy programme. I expected to be taught lots of things in therapy, but it didn't really occur to me that I might learn to meal prep. I learned that meal prepping doesn't just save you money and time, it's also like preparing a care package for your future self – you can pack away your favourite tasty treat, at a time you're feeling well, and offer yourself a hot bowl of much needed comfort later - a perfect rescue remedy at times you're feeling low.
When I was at my worst, I found it very hard to eat healthily. I didn't have the energy to cook and my low moods made me crave all sorts of unhealthy, sugary snacks (which really didn't help my mental state). It was a hard-fought battle and giving up junk food wasn't easy, but meal prepping really helped me invest in self-care and ultimately improved my mental health. On days where I felt just a little more capable, I started making soups and stews which would easily freeze and re-heat in a microwave; this small step meant that I could gradually improve my diet, allowing improvements in my mental health to follow. (If you'd like to read some of the recipes I used, drop a comment down below and I'm happy to share!)
Now, I'm pretty good at healthy eating. I'm officially in remission from my Bipolar (though it will never go away completely) and regularly cook a variety of healthy evening meals. I couldn't have achieved this without the wonderful friends and family who joined me in the kitchen, and they're owed a massive 'thanks!'. But I also couldn't have achieved this healthy lifestyle without the foresight and self-care I offered myself through meal prepping.
Recipes, please. 🙂