i keep missing my meals when researching special interest

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im having increased issues with executive functioning skills lately. the other night i forgot to shower and eat at my designated time because i was making my Sonic encyclopedia. I went to work the next day (today) and i was having issues with spacing out and accidentally echoing customers instead of using my script. i also felt very frustrated and then i started having panic attacks and the lights became very bright.

this isnt new. im just worried this is the start of a burn out...

Yeah, sounds like you were exhausted.
Any prospect of getting some high-quality rest soon?

If this ever happened to me, it was unintentional and because a project caused me unforeseen difficulties.

The only time I miss meals is when I get wrapped up in something like this. (Normally I can't STOP eating.) I then get the shakes from hunger and exhaustion, and it takes a day or two to stop feeling a bit disoriented. It's not a huge problem if this happens occasionally, but if I'm not careful the disorientation can lead to another special-interest binge, another missed meal...

The time it takes to prep meals etc takes time away from art. I fast for long periods and have done so on and off for several years. It’s much more convenient. I have to be careful though as I can get carried away with the fasting.

When i dive into my special interests, time and space go away... and so do breakfast, lunch and dinner.

Ok so I just want to share something, because I had a pretty massive phase of executive dysfunction that I managed to start to climb out of at the start of December (it had been going on for a few months). I felt like I really emerged by the middle of January. It took slow, steady work, but then I was in a state of high self control and productivity, so I really believe slow steady work is a winning approach.

I have no idea if you're open to suggestion, because you didn't ask for advice. But you did share your struggle somewhere people could potentially relate so to me it's logical that you would be open to advice that is sound from someone who does relate. So I'm sharing advice with the caveat that I exactly know what you're going through, I was just there and I have been there, like you, many times before. There's nothing in me that's speaking down to you. I'm a peer in this same struggle. (I assume people dislike advice because it feels condescending)

I started small and I focused on my routine. I made one change and stuck with it for a few days before making a new change. For example: I wanted to get up in the mornings early enough to have a good morning routine. I felt like morning routine could be my anchor. But I couldn't do that because I had a crappy evening routine. Finally I realized the first thing I needed to change was the time I closed my computer every day. I made that happen at 5:00.

I let my routine become my new obsession, and it was a lifeline. I incorporated into my routine morning journal writing, so first thing in the morning I just obsessed on my routine in my journal for like 40 minutes. It really helped me clear my head. I also started to go out for a walk every morning. That was hard, but then I was so glad I did it. I started taking my showers at night, to help me transition out of computer time.

All of these were little changes that happened very slowly and spaced out. My mantra was "first things first, easy does it, one step at a time, I'm exactly where I'm supposed to be, doing exactly what I'm supposed to be doing."

I know exactly where you are. I can relate so hard.

I envy you. Must give that a shot.

Do you have a phone or other device you could set reminders to eat on?