Feeding Myself

Forgetting to eat, or finding food too much effort, is common for neurodivergent people — and it's not laziness or vanity. Hunger signals can be unreliable, time can slip, hyperfocus can override everything, and the sheer number of steps and sensory demands in 'making a meal' can be a wall. This worksheet is about making it easier to eat enough, never about eating less.

This is about eating enough: If food often feels distressing, or you're regularly unable to eat, please talk it through with a doctor or therapist — you deserve real support with it, not just a worksheet.

Why it's hard for me

Tick what rings true — it helps to know which part to work around.

• [ ] I don't notice hunger until I feel sick, shaky, or can't think
• [ ] I lose track of time and realize it's been hours
• [ ] When I'm focused, eating just doesn't break through
• [ ] Cooking has too many steps; it's exhausting to start
• [ ] Textures, smells, or temperatures rule a lot of foods out
• [ ] Deciding what to eat is its own overwhelming task

My safe, easy foods

Foods you reliably tolerate and can face on a low day. 'Boring but eaten' beats 'balanced but skipped.' List what works for you, sorted by how much effort they take.

What works

Row 1

• Food / drink I tolerate well: ____________________
• Effort (grab / heat-up / cook): ____________________

Row 2

• Food / drink I tolerate well: ____________________
• Effort (grab / heat-up / cook): ____________________

Row 3

• Food / drink I tolerate well: ____________________
• Effort (grab / heat-up / cook): ____________________

Row 4

• Food / drink I tolerate well: ____________________
• Effort (grab / heat-up / cook): ____________________

Row 5

• Food / drink I tolerate well: ____________________
• Effort (grab / heat-up / cook): ____________________

External cues (because hunger won't always tell me)

If your body won't reliably signal, let the outside world do it. Eating on a rough schedule — by the clock, not by appetite — is a legitimate strategy.

• [ ] Set phone alarms / reminders for meals and snacks
• [ ] Keep grab-and-go food visible and at eye level, not hidden in a cupboard
• [ ] Attach eating to something I already do (with coffee, after a show, when I sit down)
• [ ] Keep a drink within reach all day

My reminder / cue plan

______________________________________________

______________________________________________

Cut the decisions

Deciding is often the hardest part. Picking defaults removes it.

Two or three 'I don't have to think' default meals

______________________________________________

______________________________________________

Sharing a kitchen

If you live with others, the shared kitchen can add friction (or help).

What would make the shared kitchen easier for me (a shelf that's mine, prepping when it's quiet, a heads-up about plans)?

______________________________________________

______________________________________________

Fed is the goal: There's no gold star for doing it the hard way. Snacks instead of meals, the same safe food five days running, eating standing up — all of it counts as taking care of yourself.

Go deeper

Ready for more? These lessons pick up where this worksheet leaves off.

• The Body, from The Neurodivergent Brain. The physical side of neurodivergence: interoception, co-occurring conditions (EDS/hypermobility, POTS, gut, sleep), and sensory sensitivity.
• Food, Eating, and ARFID, from The Autistic Woman. Why eating is hard for autistic women — sensory aversion, faint hunger cues, safe foods, and what ARFID really is.
• Executive Function, from The Neurodivergent Brain. Why the ADHD brain runs on interest not importance, why autistic set-shifting is costly, plus time blindness & task initiation.