BBQ Sauce & ADHD

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The other day I decided to make peach BBQ sauce. From scratch.

Seriously?

Do I have so much leisure time that I can take a few hours to make peach BBQ sauce? (No.)

A simple trip to the store would have worked.

Well, I did make a trip to the store, but to buy ingredients for the sauce, not to purchase a bottle of BBQ sauce.

By the way, this is the recipe that I used. It’s from a site called Vanilla Garlic and it is wonderful.

BBQ Sauce & ADHD

So back to the story.

What does this have to do with ADHD?

Well a few things, actually, including one that can actually help your ADHD symptoms.

Really.

So, first, do you know how you get fixated on something and you can’t let it go? You do online searches about it and check it out on Pinterest and Amazon. You call it “research”.

That’s called hyper focus when you have ADHD. You get so engrossed in something that you don’t notice anything else around you.

Hyper focus usually consumes several hours at a time, but I think it’s just as valid when there are several hours long sessions over a series of days.

That’s how I was about finding the perfect peach BBQ sauce recipe. I think I ended up pinning 3 or 4 pins about it. I even started dreaming about how I would become famous for my peach BBQ sauce and make it and give it to everyone for Christmas.

Ha.

Another way that I can relate making BBQ sauce to ADHD is that this recipe took a few hours to complete. And because I didn’t plan ahead, an extra trip to the store in the middle of making it to buy something I forgot.

Forgetful?

Not planning ahead?

Not allowing enough time?

Or perhaps neglecting other more important things because I was obsessed about doing this?

Hello ADHD.

But here is the way that making peach BBQ sauce or whatever your passion is can help your ADHD symptoms: when you are doing something you love, and yes, even hyper focusing on it, it acts as a sort of meditation.

Really.

In case you can’t tell, I love to cook. And chopping veggies – or peaches in this case – stirring a sauce, or cooking something on the grill relaxes me.

My mind is occupied with luscious foods and wonderful smells and the sweet anticipation of enjoying the fruits of my labor.

Any worries I have, negative thoughts to tell myself – they all slip away.

My brain gets a break.

And when you give your brain a much needed break, it can function more efficiently.

And your self esteem will thank you for a few blessed hours without internal criticism and negative thoughts.

Maybe your thing isn’t peach BBQ sauce.

But I bet you have one or two.

Go on.

Indulge.

And be sure to let me know about it!

Lacy Estelle

Lacy Estelle

Lacy Estelle is the writer of Lacyestelle.com and the Podcast host for An ADD Woman.

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4 Responses

  1. Great post, Brenda! So now I’ll get all distracted with that recipe website…and still not make a single recipe. Maybe someday, though! 🙂