Written by someone I know:

The Spoon Theory 🥄 for those living with ANY pain, illness or disorder

Have you ever wondered why it seems like some days you can be so productive and get so much done, but other days it feels really hard just getting out of bed?

The Spoon Theory goes like this 😊 someone who experiences no pain or discomfort on a daily basis wakes up every morning with 5 spoons. They get up, get ready and head out the door. That’s one spoon used. They carry out their morning, and then lunch time is here. That’s another spoon. They finish their afternoon and head home, that’s another spoon. They’ve used 3 spoons throughout their day, that leaves them with 2 for the evening and night. Once they’ve used all their spoons, they become tired and need rest.

A day in the life of someone who is hurting goes like this. They also wake up with 5 spoons (on a good day), but just getting out of bed takes a spoon. Getting ready takes another spoon, and leaving the house takes another. They’ve only just left their house but they’ve only got 2 spoons left for the entire day.

And that time period where you were so productive and got so much done? You borrowed spoons off future you. And sooner or later, you’ll run out of spoons to borrow and your body will let you know that it’s time to stop in the most inconvenient of ways (breakdowns, flare ups, changes to sleep, moods or appetite, etc).

If you’re still reading, you are not lazy. You just borrowed some spoons from future you which is awesome because you got shit done. But you borrowed spoons, and those days where you just can’t get up and go, are your spoons trying to catch up.

Be kinder to yourself, if it was anyone or any thing else carrying you through each and every day, you would let them rest when they needed it, wouldn’t you?