How Baking Has Become One of My Main Stress Relievers As A Firefighter Wife {And Ways You Can Better Manage Your Stress Too}

Becoming the wife of a firefighter seemed like such a thrilling feat. It’s easy to think of how proud you’ll be over being connected to an everyday hero that serves so selflessly for their community.

But it’s easy to get caught up in the fantasy, pride part of it, and not think of the reality of fire calls at any given time of day or having those calls last for hours and even days, leaving you feel helpless, stressful, and anxious for the well-being of your firefighter, those serving alongside them, and those involved in the call itself.

This is in no way a pity call or to look at how much I sacrifice being a firefighter’s wife, but to express that with the glory does come sacrifice just like any call to action and responsibility we are all given at any different point throughout our lives.

With such opportunities inevitably comes stress. Stress comes in both positive and negative forms, but in the end, it is how we manage it that determines how it affects us and how we overcome it well.

It is important for us to know how to manage our stress in all its forms through the individual stress relievers that work best for us.

In this article, I’ll be going over how baking has become one of my main stress relievers as a firefighter wife, and ways you can better manage your stress as well.

1) Pause

When we are faced with mental stress it activates your sympathetic nervous system, which then signals to your body to go into “fight-or-flight” mode.

When this reaction occurs, stress hormones are released and you experience physical symptoms such as a faster heartbeat, quicker breathing, and constricted blood vessels.

In an article on Healthline’s 16 Ways to Relieve Stress and Anxiety, a healthy way to respond is through “deep breathing exercises {because they} can help activate your parasympathetic nervous system, which controls the relaxation response.

The goal of deep breathing is to focus your awareness on your breath, making it slower and deeper. When you breathe in deeply through your nose, your lungs fully expand and your belly rises. This helps slow your heart rate, allowing you to feel more peaceful.”

When faced with high, negative levels of stress, baking allows me the time to pause, breathe, relax, and focus on the task at hand instead of allowing the stress before me to overwhelm and control me.

Now not all of us can take a couple of hours to regroup and manage our stress at any given moment, but no matter our daily tasks and schedules, we can take a couple of minutes to pause and breathe, inhale, exhale, breathe in, breathe out, in with the good, out with the bad.

It seems like such a simple thing, but disconnecting from the chaos of the moment by mindfully breathing in and breathing out a few times over can reset us mentally and physically so we can move forward with a clearer, more able mindset.

2) Focus on what is in my control

Baking is pretty straightforward and gives me the feeling that even if everything else is out of control, with a few ingredients and a recipe before me, I am in control and can be reassured that the end result will be something I will savor and love.

I’m not focused on my husband being at a fire call with no idea what will or won’t happen, the workplace demands, or the endless uncertainties of life, I’m focused on a delicious treat that will fill my heart with joy and my tummy with goodies.

When we are faced with stressful situations, we often continue to focus on what we can’t do rather than what we can.

Taking a moment to actively think on or create a visual by writing down what we are in control of in that very moment or as a whole in our lives can help lower our stress levels and allow our brains to better problem solve and given the solid resolve of what we are capable of doing.

3) Play some music, and dance along too

Adding some of my favorite tunes while baking makes it a special occasion for me. It takes me back to baking with my family growing up and the dance parties and karaoke sessions in our kitchen. Creating that same environment in my own home gives me great satisfaction and able to better destress.

Listening to music can have a very relaxing effect on the body and even helps lower blood pressure and heart rate as well as stress hormones.

Baking and music when brought together is a recipe for success against stress creating an opportunity to unwind and positively release tension.

4) Creativity brings perspective and peace

Creativity is a great stress reliever as it allows our minds to problem solve and gain a greater perspective as we disconnect from the stress at hand. The more we focus on the issues, the more our brain will be clouded to the possibilities that can help us through it.

Spending time baking allows me to create something delicious, create a healthy headspace, and makes me feel at peace instead of feeling restless and stressed.

Working through and dealing with what is causing you to stress is so crucial, which is why utilizing a healthy creative outlet can allow you to take a step back and work through it.

You can take a few minutes, an hour, whatever time you can take to make you feel at peace and regain perspective allowing you to return to a new frame of mind, whether by:

• Coloring in a coloring book or on an app
• Drawing
• Painting
• Baking or cooking
• Woodworking 
• Photography/videography 
• Creating a vision board
• Creating specimen pieces with items you find on a nature walk
• Listening to or creating music

The creative outlet options are truly endless so find what works best for you that’ll give you that healthy release.

5) Calming the senses

When feeling stressed and anxious, sitting in that mindset and moment will not serve you mentally or physically, which is why it is important to either in that moment or in your home is create a space that can help reduce your feelings of stress and anxiety by calming the senses.

One way to soothe the senses is through the power of smell. Filling my home with smells found in a favorite cafe, bakery, or my grandmother’s kitchen, centers and brings me increased joy and peace to help ease my stress. Some scents are especially soothing and calming such as:

• Lavender
• Rose
• Vetiver
• Bergamot
• Roman chamomile
• Neroli
• Frankincense
• Sandalwood
• Baked goods 😉

In Healthline’s article 16 Ways to Relieve Stress and Anxiety it outlines how several studies have shown that using aromatherapy (utilizing scents to treat your mood) can decrease anxiety and improve sleep.

6) Think outside of myself and pay it forward

The first summer that my husband and I were married, there were huge wildfires in our area that called my husband to work over a week and only see him every now and again for an hour or two to shower, have a nap, and do it all over again.

To distract me from what was or could take place, I found solace in baking, and baking a lot! I baked loaves upon loaves of pumpkin and banana bread, dozens of cookies, muffins, and many more baked goods. After awhile, you can only eat and freeze so much so the next best thing was to give.

I created an opportunity to not only distract and ease my stresses, but to think outside of myself and use my stress outlet for good towards others.

BONUS: Treat Yourself

One of my favorite quotes I came across a few years ago that I’ve strived to live by is “once you realize that you don’t need a special occasion to buy a cake, the second part of your life begins”.

How often do we think to ourselves that we’ll use the nice silver or kitchenware for only
Thanksgiving, or cake is only for birthdays, or to only watch certain movies during the holiday season, or the endless amount of other foods or activities we designate for certain times or happenstances?

Yes, it is important to make those special occasions special to make them meaningful, but it is just as important to treat ourselves and give meaning to the everyday and mundane, especially when life is hard, uncertain, and demanding.

When you are feeling on edge and overwhelmed, take out that fine china, get your favorite cake, and blissfully eat while watching your favorite show like the deserving, stellar individual you are! Treat yourself my friend, treat yourself!

Let go of your stressful load and embrace those key stress relievers to manage that stress with grace and success. In with the good, out with the bad.



Now I’d love to hear from you: What are your key stress relievers when you are overwhelmed and anxious? Please comment below and share this post if it has been of value to you or could be to someone else. 


**If you enjoyed this article, feel free to check out these other great & insightful posts:

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About the Author 

Hi there! I’m Stephanie Tracy, a freelance writer, and blogger for hire. I specialize in physical and mental health, parenting, and self-development. I create engaging, inspiring, and useful content to help businesses progress in making their viewers into customers. When I’m not writing, you can find me on the floor happily playing with my baby boy, walking in the park with my family, or indulging in a movie marathon with my husband.