Cognitive flexibility- anyone else?

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On Sunday I bought a pork joint that will do me till Wednesday . I bought 2 stir fry packs to have some pork with. The other 2 days I was intending to have the pork with sweet potato wedges and microwaveable veg.

I’ve been thrown because,bless them, my 2 granddaughters have brought plates of potatoes and veg to have with the pork .

It was kind of them but It has thrown me. I will have the second plate with pork today. The stir fry I will have tomorrow as that’s its use by date.

That leaves the two packets of microwave veg and the tray of sweet potato wedges. The wedges have a use by date of today and the veg tomorrow and Thursday.

I don’t do well adjusting to a change of circumstance. Cognitive flexibility is not a strong point.

Most at the time I can't, though I do try yet it's frustrating.
I can take it when there are no heads up and have to shift onto another.
But not at parts where acting upon beyond settling down, and almost never do thinking several steps ahead of that. Let alone lead or take control.


Yet there are days that I suddenly do, in quick rapid succession too and no confusions or frustrations.
Everything just flows, and it's Iike having this mental frame on my head of where and when to's are held up and put together in a clear picture, and I'm no longer navigating 'blind', directionless or uncertain on every after-changes.
Having a real ability to lead like a real capable adult, capable of adjusting and getting along with those changes on the spot...
I really wish it stays like this yet it just doesn't.

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Freeze them.

This solves all my cognitive flexibility problems with food going out of date due to changes.

Well it doesn't solve them , it hides them

They all say 'Don't freeze' .

"Use by dates" and "date codes" for food are only an approximation focused primarily on taste and nutritional value.

Manufacturers provide dating to help consumers and retailers decide when food is of best quality. Factors including the length of time and the temperature at which a food is held during distribution and offered for sale, the characteristics of the food, and the type of packaging will affect how long a product will be of optimum quality. A “Use-By" date is the last date recommended for the use of the product while at peak quality. It is not a safety date except for when used on infant formula as described below.

Source: Food Product Dating

Personally from a safety aspect, I wouldn't be too concerned. I tend to use my sight, taste, smell to assess the quality of food that I eat. If it smells bad or taste funny or I can see mold growing on it, then I throw it away. Grocery stores will discount meat that is nearing their date code. I generally buy this meat and eat it. Been doing it for years. I have even eaten beans that my wife and I canned over 20 years before. And I am still alive. I am 70 now. So I think you will be safe.

In my experience, the "use by" and "don't freeze" labels can be ignored. A friend of mine was visiting last year and found a pack of buffalo mince in my freezer with a "sell by 2003" label. We cooked it up into a spaghetti bolognese alle bufala, and it was delicious. 15 years in the freezer, and still good to eat.

There's a good reason why they put expiry dates in food. I would go by them, most of the time, if I were you.

Yes, there are exceptions. Yes, you can freeze things for years.

But, still....err on the side of caution.

Neuroplasticity

It's hard for me to deal with change

Hold grudges

Living in the past




The older I get the worse it gets

No school, no work, almost no friends





Asked counselor Jeanne Courtney about it

First she thought I said "neurodiversity" instead of "neuroplasticity". Then I asked if I should try new things. She answered not if it causes you anxiety


Expand comfort zone

Sometimes anxiety is worth it

Masters in psychology

She did not know what she was talking about


Everything causes me anxiety


Social anxiety Disorder

Autism

Depression


The world is a torture chamber, not a playground

On the broader point about flexibility:

I will end up eating the same meals every day and wearing the same short cycle of clothes (typically those the top of the pile). I go for meals which require the least time organization/preparation because I have a very real risk of going without eating until I am at crisis and absolutely have to do it if the item requires preparation. Things like nuts, yogurt, and canned goods are good for me because of these issues. If I'm eating at home, I'll typically stand and walk around while I eat.

I noticed eventually that I developed a habit of routine within the first 2 weeks of an alteration in living situation and changing that routine would become an enormous feat.

One time I didn't have the internet for a few weeks at a new place and would sit outside and think to pass the time. Even when I got the internet, I had difficulties breaking that pattern and would just keep sitting outside and thinking.