Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
General Website Questions
Why mental health and food & cooking together?
Because they’re both part of my story. Living with bipolar disorder has shaped the way I move through the world—and building confidence in the kitchen has been one of the most empowering things I’ve done. Tay’s Bipolar Kitchen is a space where both sides of my life show up: the ups and downs of mental health, and the everyday wins of learning, experimenting, and growing as a home cook. Sometimes those paths cross. Sometimes they don’t. But both are real. Both matter. And both deserve to be here.
Do I really need to glossary to navigate your site?
Not really. I enjoy sticking to a theme; therefore, it might not always be obvious what some terms mean.
What is the site all about?
Tay’s Bipolar Kitchen is a website about food, mental health, and the lived experience of healing. It’s where everyday cooking meets emotional growth — all grounded in honesty, practical tips, and a little bit of flavor joy.
Our blog is organized into four core areas:
Food & Cooking: Includes Taysty Tips, Tay Tastes Things (Again), and Special of the Month — with weekly and biweekly posts focused on cooking skills, ingredient know-how, and food discovery.
Mental Health Wellness: Features Care For You and Menu Talks, with regular posts offering coping tools, life skills, and supportive insights for living with mental illness.
Personal Experiences & Reflections: A biweekly Wednesday series where I share real stories, hard-won lessons, and moments that helped me grow.
Recipe Archive: A no-schedule section where I post favorite recipes when the mood (and flavor) hits.
Each section has its own rhythm — and you can explore them all through the FAQ menu.
Why did you start this site?
I started this site to create the kind of space I wish I’d had—one that’s honest, stigma-free, and grounded in real-life experience. Living with bipolar disorder and learning how to care for my mental health has taught me a lot. So has spending years getting comfortable in the kitchen. Tay’s Bipolar Kitchen is my way of sharing both: the truths, the tools, and the tips that helped me along the way. Whether it’s navigating a tough mental health day or figuring out how to store leafy greens so they actually last, I’m here to pass on what I’ve learned—and hopefully make someone else’s path a little easier.
Mental Health Wellness
What can I find in Care of You?
Care For You: A bi-weekly Monday series focused on rebuilding self-trust, emotional balance, and practical life skills for living with mental illness.
What are Menu Talks?
Menu Talks: A weekly Tuesday series introducing a new mental wellness skill or coping tool each month — think of it as the inner version of meal prep.
What is mental health wellness?
When I say Mental Health Wellness, I’m talking about both recovery and long-term management for those living with mental health conditions, and the practice of building strong emotional habits for anyone — diagnosed or not. It’s about learning skills, setting boundaries, and creating steadier ground to move through life with more clarity and care.
Are you a licensed?
I am not, nor am I am pretending to be. The information shared are items that I have found helpful in my journey. As always, please read the disclaimer and contact your medical professional before implementing any therapies
What do I do if I need mental health help?
If you have a mental health emergency, please contact your local crisis care or head to the closest emergency room!
Food & Cooking
Are you a Chef?
While I’ve taken a few professional cooking classes, I don’t consider myself a chef. I prefer the term professional cook — I’m a caterer, after all.
What is Taysty Tips?
Taysty Tips: Weekly posts on Mondays with smart, no-recipe-needed cooking education. From food safety and ingredient deep dives to kitchen techniques and seasonal prep — this series is all about building confidence in your kitchen.
What is Special of the Month?
Special of the Month: On the second Tuesday of each month, I share one of my favorite recipes — the kind that makes me say, “You need to try this.”
Tay Tastes Things (again), what is that about?
Tay Tastes Things (Again): A bi-weekly Sunday series chronicling my food explorations — trying new things, revisiting childhood flavors, and discovering what joy tastes like now.
When do you post recipes?
No schedule — just the recipes I love.
When I’m ready to share a dish that really hits, it’ll show up here. Sometimes it’s paired with a Taysty Tip, sometimes it stands on its own.
Do you write your own recipes?
Some recipes are entirely my own creations. Others are longtime favorites that I’ve adapted to fit my tastes or needs. Some start as ideas I develop in collaboration with tools like ChatGPT and other AI models. When a recipe is inspired by or adapted from someone else’s work, I always give credit to the original source. Every dish reflects my voice and what I truly enjoy cooking.
Personal Experiences & Reflections
What is the Personal Experience and Reflections Category?
Where I get real about bipolar disorder, grief, and the lessons that saved me.
This section updates bi-weekly on Wednesdays and shares honest stories from my life — things I’ve survived, things I’ve learned, and the quiet strength I’ve found in unexpected places.
Why share personal experiences and reflections?
Concepts are important, but many people connect more deeply when they see those ideas through the lens of real experience.
Reflections matter — because as time passes, we gain new perspectives, and what once felt confusing or painful can reveal its deeper meaning.
When will these posts appear on the blog?
Personal Experiences will be updated biweekly on Wednesday.