It Turns Out I Don’t Hate Cooking
But when I’m feeling pressure to get it done fast (and right), my ADHD takes away all my patience — and in the process, tricks me into disliking things that actually bring me peace. Like slicing and dicing.
ADHD does a funny thing: it makes me think that I don’t like things that I do like. Cooking is a perfect example. For a few years now, I’ve been railing about how I hate cooking. It’s not true. Was I lying? Nope, I’m an honest person, but I get overwhelmed by the details of daily living. When I’m overwhelmed, and my brain is moving fast, my patience wears thinner than usual and voilà: I hate cooking.
This happens to me all the time. I get bored or impatient with something I enjoy, and I avoid doing it and complain about it.
I had a lot to do last night, and I had to make some decisions. I decided that I would focus on one set of things — all things “kitchen” — and let the rest of the house stay messy. Once I got started, by cleaning the dishes, then the countertops, then preparing food for the week, I started to smile. My heart was happy. I wasn’t cranky any more. I did think about the other things I needed to do, but I wasn’t worried about them.
I announced to my husband, “You won’t believe this, but your wife, who hates cooking, likes cooking.” He said, “Yeah, when there’s no pressure involved, it’s fun.” He used to work in restaurants, so he knows how this works.
I found a little peace for a couple of hours last night, just puttering around my kitchen — more proof that starting is the hardest part.
—from 18channels.com
