Hannah Frye is the Beauty & Health Editor at mindbodygreen. She has a B.S. in journalism and a minor in women’s, gender, and queer studies from California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo. Hannah has written across lifestyle sections including beauty, women’s health, mental health, sustainability, social media trends, and more. She previously worked for Almost 30, a top-rated health and wellness podcast. In her current role, Hannah reports on the latest beauty trends and innovations, women’s health research, brain health news, and plenty more.
The ways in which we take care of ourselves are deeply personal—the stolen moments of pause, the practices we turn to in times of stress, the unique rituals that speak to our inner selves. So in our series Me Time, we’re exploring the cherished ways we care for our bodies, minds, and souls—plus, we’ll get into the science-backed reasons the rituals work, how to try them yourself, and insights from experts.
If you see me baking a pie at 7 a.m., you can guarantee I’m doing it for my mental health. This probably sounds really strange at first, but it’s my truth: There are few things that pull me out of a dark headspace more than spending solo time baking.
I discovered the power of this hobby when I was struggling with depression and had next to no motivation to do anything positive with my day. One morning, in the midst of this difficult time, I woke up to bake a pie for a Friendsgiving celebration (a commitment I thought I’d regret when I first woke up). I decided to start early just to have the kitchen to myself, so there I was baking a pie while the sun was still rising…