I can’t be the only one who’s been bombarded with ads for subscription boxes. I’m not entirely sure what started the trend, but one thing is for sure: it seems like there’s a subscription box for nearly everything these days.
Even meals.
Subscription boxes like Hello Fresh and Blue Apron seem to be marketed toward young adults and busy parents alike, but I believe they’re missing a possible major market — people who struggle with executive functioning like me.
I have a cocktail of mental health problems that I am working with a team of doctors, psychiatrists, therapists and more to identify what will help me get better. In the meantime, I need to stay functional. When I transitioned to college, this became more difficult.
I overwork myself to ward off some of my symptoms, but that causes other symptoms to bubble to the surface. More often than not, I barely have enough time or energy to take care of myself — a complaint I’ve heard from many of my peers, neurotypical or otherwise.
This is where subscription boxes come in handy.
My symptoms make basic tasks, like brushing my teeth or starting assignments, difficult. One task above all can seem daunting — making myself a meal.
I have struggled over the course of my time in college to feed myself. I eat very little and lack variety in my diet to the point I’ve joked I eat nothing but bagels and pre-prepared burritos. The sad truth is this isn’t always a joke.
That’s why I finally bowed to the constant advertising and recommendations from influencers and bought a Hello Fresh subscription.
For the past two weeks, I have received boxes filled with fresh ingredients, complete recipes and the occasional extra goody. I hoped having the ingredients laid out in front of me, pre-proportioned and ready for use, and the recipes written in easy-to-understand language would help me diversify my diet, eat healthier meals and make food I would enjoy.
Most of the time, it works.
The avoidance of grocery stores — where fluorescent lights and loud crowds can overwhelm me and render me unable to function for the rest of the day — allows me to conserve energy for things more important to me: classwork, student media and spending time with my friends.
Instead of spending my limited mental energy on deciding which meals to create, how to gather the ingredients to make them and what to do with the leftover scraps of assorted ingredients, I can focus on cooking the actual meal, which takes significantly more energy.
When times get particularly rough, like they have this semester, sometimes even the subscription boxes don’t help. Some days, it’s all I can do to roll out of bed, get dressed and go to class. At that point, I can often be seen wearing sunglasses and ear plugs, avoiding human contact and verbal communication. That’s when I need the most help taking care of myself.
I’m not claiming that it should be anyone’s responsibility other than my own to provide for my needs. I am an adult and will earn my place in the world, but I do need some support to make that happen. Subscription boxes that provide for basic needs are one solution I have found — and strongly recommend to those who can afford it — for this problem.
Lex Miller can be reached at [email protected]