So many of us are anxious. Kori Kanayama cooks and teaches how to cook authentic dishes that nourish and heal from the inside out. For her cooking is a creative expression of care for others. Kori Kanayama shines a light on her journey with anxiety and talks about how food and being in harmony with nature helps her along the way.
“I did not realize what was harming me, until a kind and skilled therapist pointed out to me that I might be anxious. The part of the definition of being anxious for me is the tendency to focus on the downside of how things might turn out. This drives a strong impetus for me to continually act to ameliorate things that may possibly going wrong. Always the present demand to be excellent and high achieving.
Growing up, there was a big focus on bringing home good grades. I didn’t always succeed in all of the subjects. In the background, I’m thinking I’m not good enough. “
Building Resiliency
I had enough connection with the CEO of an organisation I served, to bring something up from the past, I think in my heart of hearts, I thought that he would be able to have this conversation with me. And he did. The outcome of our conversation was deeply healing.
Healing Anxiety
Nature and harmony ease anxiety and promote positive wellbeing.
“It’s all about the soil. There is a connection between our food, between our health, and even with leadership. The impact of our diet, our foods, our culture, sitting down for a meal together, encouraging people to cook is a way of taking care of ourselves.”
Helpful Resources
When asked what helped her on the first steps of embracing her anxiety with a view to getting healthier, Kori mentions Thin Slices of Anxiety: Observations and Advice to Ease a Troubled Mind by Catherine Lepage. She admits, the visuals in the book are really helpful and reading it, helped her feel less alone.
Kori Kanayama | Community Farm Chef can be reached at purslanecommons.com . She is on LinkedIn | Instagram | Facebook | Takeachef profile
