Foraging and ADHD By Sam Webster and Freya Rimmington

My opinion of ADHD has changed, like many I thought was an excuse for lazy, easily distracted kids who didn’t want to go to school. That was partly based on experience, used to work in a school for pupils who had been expelled. I remember one pupil in particular who had ADHD, with hindsight - the school environment was the worst place for her - she was very easily distracted and the tiniest little thing and her head would fling round to see what it was, she couldn’t sit still or stay quiet. Little did I think back then that I could have ADHD too.

I’m quite new to understanding the nuances of living with ADHD, but after to talking to some other neurospicy members of the Association of Foragers I feel like I've found people who get me  A huge proportion of professional foragers and other outdoor instructors seem to have ADHD, all experiencing very similar symptoms. Unsurprisingly we all came to the conclusion: Foraging helps. 

The art of finding wild food is a hyperfocus activity; foraging for and learning about plants, seaweeds  and mushrooms is something that can never get boring and more importantly it can never be “completed”. Psychologist William Dodson, suggests that there are five things that are the top motivating factors for someone with ADHD: Interesting, Novel, Challenging, Urgent, and Passion (INCUP for short). Foraging is a subject that ticks all these boxes for me, it has the motivating factors necessary to keep my ADHD brain engaged. 

Foraging coupled with my diagnosis, helps me make peace with who I am as a person: I have learned to rein in my inner critic and to try and find ways to work with my brain rather than fighting against it. 

People with ADHD are much more attentive and notice the small fine details (under INCUP rich circumstances). Fellow forager, Freya Rimmington said “often while leading a foraging course she’ll spot a tiny mushroom, thirty paces away, hiding behind a leaf, attendees will look baffled and say to “how the hell did you notice that”. This perceptive impression is somewhat ruined however at the end of the course she is tearing her hair out looking for her car keys that are sitting on the bench right next to her. This high level of competence and perception juxtaposed with almost inexplicable blindsightedness is the dichotomy that is ADHD, it is one of the reasons it can be difficult for those without to understand us and take the condition seriously. 

Many of us desperately struggle with - or straight up avoid - the clerical side of running foraging events. Being stuck, sitting down, indoors, looking at a spreadsheet or writing emails is obviously not a stimulating time for anyone, but when you’ve got ADHD it can be EXCRUCIATING! Our brains race to find reasons to stop the necessary task or they invent other incredibly “important” things you could be doing instead, conducting extensive research into all the wild things you can make into paper. But it’s what we’ve got to do in order to run the business we all love! For most of us a few hours in the woods is required post admin to reset our brains.

Foragers with ADHD are blessed with the ability to look everywhere, we tap into small signals, environmental, seasonal, or just good vibes that tell us something good is to be found nearby. It’s enough to send us darting through the countryside on the hunt! Finding the elusive mushroom or herb not only means food but also equates to that dopamine high we are constantly chasing. Result.

Foraging is great for everyone’s mental health, for me when I’m out foraging either on my own or with other foragers I find the constant background noise in my head become calm and quiet, a sense of still and focus floods my brain and all the stresses and responsibilities are forgotten for a few blissful hours. I struggle with the traditional concept of  mindfulness and being calm and still, particularly if I’m required to sit quietly, I just wanna jump up and make noise. So the focus I get from foraging is the best type of meditation. 

Another fellow forager, Emma Cronin once said to me that the best thing she ever did was take up foraging, it keeps her intrigued, interested and constantly learning.

Nature is incredible and a constant wonder. It’s a pleasure to have a brain that’s wired to embrace it. I think when you have ADHD it hits all the right buttons.

I will always have ADHD and I will always forage.

Written By

Sam Webster and Freya Rimmington