7 Easy Recipes You can Make When Struggling with Anxiety
Written by Beatrice Walker / April 30, 2022
When I’m struggling with a bout of anxiety, tasks which normally seem manageable become much more difficult than usual. It’s hard to work up the motivation to do things that once seemed easy, i.e. cooking. Anxiety can feel almost crippling at times, especially when you’ve found yourself sliding down deep into the rabbit hole of thoughts.
Whatever that’s causing your anxiety to peak in that moment will have you so focused on that thing that all other things are cast aside, and it’s as if your body is paralyzed from not knowing how to manage it. The to-do list gets thrown out the window, and that thing or thought you’re ruminating on has now taken the reigns of your life, and nothing else matters. Very often I found myself in anxieties’ death grip, knowing I was in it, but unsuccessfully able to pull myself out.
Things like cooking, eating, doing the dishes, or working out seemed daunting, and damn near impossible. When I’m at peak anxiety I have difficulty eating. Chewing and swallowing seem arduous enough, let alone having to muster up the physical energy to put together an entire meal. I used to fluctuate in weight due to my anxiety. Losing my appetite, and not properly nourishing myself so frequently caused me to lose weight pretty quickly. Over the years and since learning how to manage my anxiety, I’ve had taught myself easy to prepare meals that don’t require much prep work, but are still nourishing and delicious. Ya’ll know I throw down in the kitchen, but I’ve realized that it’s ok to take a few shortcuts which can still produce a tasty, satisfying product that in the long run will be better for my mental health.
Below are several of my go-to low maintenance, easy to prepare recipes that have really saved me, and are now some of my regular meals/snacks.
Soft Boiled Eggs
These are a breakfast favorite for me because I love a soft boiled egg, they come out perfect every time, and they’re actually really easy to make. All you need to do is boil some water and drop your eggs in. I have a recipe here!
Marinated Artichokes and Crusty Bread
This is a new one for me, as I didn’t become a fan of artichoke hearts until recently. My favorite ones right now are these marinated ones from Sprouts. They taste EXCELLENT on a big piece of crusty bread.
Coconut Yogurt & Fruit
This is another one of my breakfast go to’s when I wake up feeling anxious and just want to eat something quick and easy. Oui Yoplait makes dairy-free coconut yogurt and it’s absolutely delicious. My favorite flavors are mango and strawberry! Sometimes I’ll drop a handful of blueberries or crushed nuts on top to in order to give myself a bit more nutrients. I’m personally limiting the amount of dairy I consume, but if you’re going to eat it, go with a good brand of full fat greek yogurt.
Annie’s Easy Mac N Cheese
If you’re going to eat processed food, it might as well be organic! It takes about 15 minutes to make from start to finish and the only thing you have to do is boil water, and mix the cheese in once the pasta is cooked. Boom.
Store Bought Hummus & Pita Bread
This is such a simple yet satisfying thing to eat and it takes literal seconds to prepare. I like to cut up the pita in triangles and microwave it for about 15 seconds so it gets nice and soft. Then I dip it into my favorite hummus, which at the moment is Cedars roasted red pepper hummus.
Peanut Butter Banana Boats
This snack is nostalgic in every way because it reminds me of childhood. I think at some point in every child's life there was a snack presented to them with the addition of peanut butter, mostly as an accompaniment to some fruit or vegetable. So this is the slightly upgraded version of that. And all you have to do is slice a banana and sprinkle/drizzle whatever you want on top! Peanut butter, maple syrup, mini chocolate chips, and flaky maldon sea salt are some of my favorite toppings.
Whole Grain Pasta & Pre-Made Tomato Sauce
I truly love making my own red sauce, but it’s a bit of a labor of love with quite a few steps involved. I typically don’t like already made jarred tomato sauce, but I actually love Rao’s Marinara because it tastes very close to a homemade red sauce. Warm it up with some whole grain pasta and a sprinkle of parm and voila! Dinner in less than 20 minutes.