Cooking with
ADHD

2022 has been a year of many events and most of those have been very challenging for any Ukrainian, to say the least. 

One thing that 2022 did bring that ignited a sparkle of hope for me, however, was an ADHD diagnosis. 

Just like many people out there, I thought that ADHD is a strictly childhood/adolescent neurological disorder that goes away once you grow up. 

I had no idea just how wrong I was. 

Having a conversation with a psychologist and answering all the questions that helped me get the diagnosis I have realized just how much of my life has been influenced by this neurodevelopmental disorder. 

I will not even be able to go into all of this in detail. But something that I notice daily now is the way ADHD influences my cooking. 

I have always wondered - how is it that I love cooking and yet so many times it stresses me out so much to the point that I almost hate it? 

Now I realize that attention deficit goes beyond spacing out and fidgeting. It turns out that all those times I am so focused on the recipe that I get irritated when I get spoken to is not because I'm in a bad mood. 

Now I know that constant difficulty following a recipe when it is not accompanied by a picture is not because I'm not invested enough. 

Now it makes sense that frequent confusion of the ingredients list by changing its order in my mind and misreading the amounts of ingredients is not because I'm too tired to cook. 

So now what? I have the diagnosis and can I find a way to improve the quality of my life based on what I know? 

I should hope so. That's why diagnoses exist. 

Among other things, I am very much relieved that now I can explain "my peculiarities" to my partner and friends better. 

I can set the boundaries that I need without feeling guilty and wondering why I need them in the first place and others don't. 

Now I search for ways that would work for me, based on what I now know doesn't work for me. 

Don't get me wrong, the process is not easy and it is filled with trial and error.

Some small improvements are that I make space for myself more. And before cooking, I make sure that:

 

  • I set enough time to spend on cooking;
  • if following a recipe I read it a few times before starting, especially if it's the first time I am using it;
  • I tell my partner I will need time to concentrate and let them know I won't be available; 
  • I put my phone on silent;
  • I prepare the ingredients and place them on the counter before I begin;
  • I clean up waste regularly during cooking as extra objects make me lose concentration and forget ingredients or steps;
  • I try to go easy on myself when I make mistakes even after I have made the same recipe many times before.

All this helps but I am still working on reducing the pressure I put on myself. 

Have you ever felt difficulty following a recipe or thought cooking is not for you even though you enjoy the idea of cooking? 

Maybe trying some of these steps will benefit you as well as there is no one wrong or right way to organize your cooking process. 

I have learned to understand that, regardless of whether you are a beginner cook or not, the personal routine and ritual of cooking are just as important as following a recipe and choosing the right ingredients. 

© Urheberrecht. Alle Rechte vorbehalten. Anna Illyashyk 2023