The Uncanny Similarities Between Recovery and Making Bread
An attempt to bring some levity to the often daunting recovery process.
This past fall, I finally jumped on the sticky sourdough bandwagon so many endeavored at the peak of the pandemic.
Before attempting my starter (a mixture of flour and water that produces natural yeasts and serves as a leavening agent for baking bread), I thoroughly researched the whole bread-making process, which left me feeling both excited and apprehensive. Nonetheless, it was time to get my hands dirty.
It’s been about five months since I baked my first (dense as a brick) loaf, and I recently had this strange realization: making bread is wildly similar to my recovery from an eating disorder. The process has been messy, grueling, and frustrating yet also soothing, rewarding, and (deliciously) satisfying.
By no means do I want to undermine recovery — from any illness or addiction — by making this comparison.
But perhaps reading over the many parallels I’ve discovered between these two very different undertakings will help bring some levity to your recovery journey (or your quest to become an amateur baker — whichever resonates more with you).
