Practiced Spanish (couple hours; lots of homework) ✅
Didn't have time to type up any of today's thoughts about my qualifying exam lists… but I do feel more convinced of the substantial changes I drafted over the weekend! ✅ (I also made time to attend @FractalEcho 's #Neurodivergent Burnout webinar on Writing with Executive Dysfunction today, which was very useful! And as they pointed out, dreaming, thinking, or pre-writing also count as writing!)
#ADHD is such an odd type of #disability. It's simultaneously "invisible" and utterly obvious once you know how to spot it.
It's also maligned and all-too-frequently mis-/ under-/ poorly diagnosed, particularly for folks who don't happen to present as male, middle class, and white.
Just want to say how much I appreciate all of you wonderful #neurospicy / #neurodiverse folks here on the Fediverse! We're slowly making the world better by discussing our challenges and approaches—and continuing to advocate for increased #accessibility for everyone.
I almost forgot it’s ADHD Awareness Month. I was diagnosed in November 2021 after several of my friends posted ADHD memes and I recognized myself in them.
Finally being diagnosed and on meds has been great, overall. It’s not a super power, even tho medication definitely empowers me.
Being on meds doesn’t give me more spoons, but it does mean my spoons are no longer all slotted.
I wanted to post this for my #ADHDers and the #NeurodiverseSquad at large. These are low- to no-effort nutrition tips that I have accumulated over the years for "no spoons" days:
There are a ton of veggies you can eat with no preparation at all. Baby carrots, snap peas, cucumber, grape/snacking tomatoes, mini bell peppers (the red ones are sweet and you can bite into them like an apple), romaine/leafy green lettuce, spinach, mushrooms, canned bamboo shoots/menma, jalapeños, bean sprouts, and a bunch more.
Sardines. They are a great protein source and so damn nutrient-dense. All you have to do is pull the top off the can.
Sprouts can be added to sooo many things. They're barely noticeable and they pack in a lot of extra nutrients. I like alfalfa sprouts, but there are also clover sprouts, broccoli sprouts, and others--and they're all super good for you. I put them on sandwiches, mix them into salads, wtv.
Plain avocado oil is a fine salad dressing that's also a great source for healthy fat with Omega-3s. It's also good on rice, potatoes, or anything you'd put butter on.
Oatmeal is a great healthy carb. Just get some instant oats and add water. Microwave or use an electric kettle. You can add some fruit and honey to make it sweet, you can add chocolate protein powder and peanut butter to make it decadent, you can throw sautéed mushrooms and chives in it and put a fried egg on top to make it savory.
Peanut butter is my JAM, but almond butter is arguably better for you. Just find a nut butter with as few ingredients as possible on the label, but ideally one that is no stir. Eat it with a spoon, put it on bread, put it on apple slices, put it on put it on whatever. It can be high sodium, but if you're having trouble getting enough calories or enough protein: peanut butter.
Are you having lots of no spoons days? Depression slump? Chronic illness? Let me introduce you to Tray™. Just get a normal tray, ideally with hand-holdy bits. Reserve a shelf in your fridge for it, and load a variety of foods onto it. Maybe some lunch meat, cheese, a bit of dark chocolate, whatever you want. Just put a bunch of zero-effort foods, then when you are hungry, remove Tray™, eat stuff off of it, return Tray™ to fridge. Just make sure to restock it every week.
If you have the means, look into Instant Pots. Especially the ones with the air fryer. You can bake potatoes, make hardboiled eggs, rice, broth, and all kinds of basics really easily. There are also a bajillion hands-off, one-pot recipes that you can make with it. Dump some stuff in, put on the lid, press a couple buttons, wait a few minutes--dinner's ready. It takes so much time, thought, and energy out of cooking.
Easy portions: your plate = 50% veggie, 25% lean protein, 25% complex carb. Add a Tbsp or two worth of healthy fat onto that.
I hope this helps! Please feel free to comment any tips you've picked up.