ADHD is a complex condition that affects a wide, wide range of people around the entire world. To that end, there’s no real answer that will help every single person that suffers with the condition. Instead, it’s a little easier to bear in mind a few different ideas that might help you or a loved one with the condition.
In this article, we’re going to run through a few ideas that can help with the symptoms of ADHD, from supplying a little more energy in those moments that it may be needed, to supplying something that may be useful for stimming in a particularly stressful moment.
You can find a wide range of the things that we mention in our sweet hampers since the hampers themselves contain a range of options that can be tailored to a specific customer. Personalised sweets will allow you to tailor a gift, even if it’s to yourself, in order to make sure that the recipient will adore it.
Flavour fixations
Sometimes, ADHD sufferers can find themselves fixated upon a particular flavor or texture that scratches a particular itch, as it were. This can be something as simple and wide-reaching as ‘cheesy’, where someone could sample everything from fondue to risotto. It could be something as specific as a single option from a single brand. These cravings can be tricky to predict, and trickier to cater to.
With that in mind, personalised sweets can be the ideal solution. A great ADHD-friendly treat basket could include a range of different things, including, of course, just one thing in a large quantity. Say someone really felt the need for fizzy, sour sweets, that’s something that a sweet hamper could certainly cater to - a range of cola bottles and fizzy belts could be assembled to be sure that the craving is met.
Savoury solutions
Savoury solutions can sometimes be precisely what’s called for, especially when someone with ADHD feels the need to stim. Stimming is a complex, multi-faceted thing, where practitioners typically carry out a simple, repetitive behaviour that brings them a level of comfort. While it may seem like strange behaviour to select an outsider looking in, it typically makes perfect sense to the person in question.
The reason we suggest savoury solutions to this end is that the texture of savoury options is typically a lot simpler and more predictable than that of a sweet option. Compare, for example, sweet, toffee popcorn to salty crackers. The popcorn typically has a range of different flavours and textures in a single bag, since the sugar can barely coat a single kernel, or it can form a thick shell.
Salty, savoury crackers, however, typically have much the same texture in every single bite. This is certainly by design, since confectionary companies are aiming to ensure that their crackers and other snacks retain the same flavour in every single bite, and every single pack.
Therefore, the use of some form of savoury crisps, crackers, or popcorn, can be a useful way for an ADHD person to stim.
A wide range of flavors to try
Since ADHD is essentially a disease that is characterised by the lack of dopamine in the brain, there is a range of times in which a number of different options may not feel at all correct or useful to an ADHD sufferer. For example, a person’s favourite meal may suddenly not feel at all tasty, or their go-to stimming food may no longer bring them too much comfort in the grand scheme of things.
To that end, trying a wide range of different things all in one go may feel like it’s the best way forward for an ADHD sufferer in those moments. Sweet hampers can be a great option in those moments since it allows the ADHD-sufferer to experience that range of flavours in a very short space of time.
Great sweet hampers can allow for the shopper to select the elements that are within the hamper, down to a very specific level, in some cases. To that end, we would recommend taking a look at some hampers that might allow for that level of control. If the person you’re buying for has a favourite candy, you can select that, as well as a range of other candies with wildly different flavours. Remember, variety is the way to overcome that specific type of decision paralysis. Eventually, a choice will be made, and the ADHD sufferer will be able to enjoy a wonderful treat all to themselves.
Fast and slow energy release
A combination of fast and slow energy release may be a particularly wonderful option if you were considering making a homemade version of any level of treats for a loved one. The reason that we’d suggest this is that a symptom a number of ADHD patients report is having wildly unpredictable moments of inspiration and enthusiasm for a range of things. Therefore, having a constantly high level of energy is, perhaps, the easiest and best option.
A classic example of this is the combination of carbohydrates and sugar. This is typically seen in the offering of toast with jam for breakfast, since the jar is packed with both natural and artificial sugars, allowing a quick spike of energy immediately. The bread, however, is digested more slowly, with the carbohydrates digesting into sugars over time, allowing for a person’s energy levels to remain fairly high, without actually dropping that much over time.
A homemade version of this treat could be anything at all that you might think of, especially options that specifically cater to the tastes of the ADHD sufferer to whom you’re catering. If you really wanted to go the extra mile, there are exhaustive jam recipes online, all of which can be fairly easy to make in the right circumstances.
We hope that this article has given you a few gentle nudges into the world of sweet hampers, personalised sweets, and the different options that can allow you to cater to an ADHD loved one in the best way possible.