04/30/2026
To some people, staying hydrated and eating three meals sounds like basic maintenance. But for the ADHD brains, the stress-numbed appetites, and those healing from disordered eating, these arenât easy things to do. They often feel like acts of rebellion.
Mental and emotional friction is real. When the âshouldsâ feel too heavy, I rely on my non-negotiable anchors to take the thinking out of it:
âď¸Having 2-3 âsafeâ foods that require zero brain power. If itâs the same protein shake or peanut butter toast for the third day in a row? Fine. Fed is best, bebe.
âď¸ If I donât see the water, it doesnât exist. My water bottle stays in my line of sight like a permanent fixture of my desk.
âď¸ Moving my body isnât about burning anything off itâs about proving I can still feel my toes when stress tries to make me go numb.
To anyone else fighting the friction: If your appetite is ghosting you or your brain is too loud to focus on wellness,stop trying to do it perfectly.
Please know you can work on skills around your struggles, and eventually they become so natural you donât have to use any bandwidth to make it happen.
I talk about this as a "skill," but letâs be clear: sometimes this rebellion is messy, ungraceful, and feels nothing like a spa day.
Sometimes itâs making yourself swallow protein when your stress-response makes food taste like literal sand. Itâs eating whatever is reachable because the ADHD paralysis won't let you cook, but you refuse to starve.
Sometimes itâs doing ten pushups or a frantic walk just to burn off the cortisol thatâs making your skin crawl.
Itâs often frustrating, clunky, and inconvenient. But choosing to fuel a body you don't currently feel like inhabiting isn't just maintenance, itâs grit.
If your self-care is ugly today, youâre still doing it right.
