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Toaddy

Updated 10mo ago

Living with Chronic Illness: The Comfort of Spoon Theory

For those that are familiar with spoon theory: I definitely live by it. It has helped me commit to pacing myself on my bad days AND good days. It's become a point of pride for me to be able to say I feel like I have spoons over at the end of the day. It's also helped me explain how I manage my energy consumption to my partner. She got be a keychain with little spoons on them for Christmas two years ago so that I always have extra spoons on me, and now looks for spoonie merch everywhere we go. I'm trying to focus on the positive today, and spoon theory has definitely been a positive in my chronic illness journey. Since it's working well for me, I'm curious. oes anyone else finds comfort in having a metaphor to describe how chronic illness impacts energy? Have you found that it helps others understand? Or has it changed the way you understand yourself?

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1lovemyheatingp8d

1y

Do you track your spoons in any particular way? I’ve tried to use the spoon theory but i’ve found it hard to track it consistently thought out the day
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Toaddy

1y

It's taken some practice but if I'm considering doing something outside of my normal routine that I've established, I slow down and consider how many spoons it would take to do that thing and if I have spoons to spare. Having my partner in the loop helps hold me accountable too. She likes reminding me to conserve my spoons and to take rests between activities. Once I had a feel for how many spoons my usual activities cost me, it became easier to think about it automatically. I did have to keep a log in the beginning until I had it down to a science. It's taken me 3+ years to feel like it's fully integrated into my life. I think once I started making jokes about "running out of spoons" it was more of a permanent fixture because I was asked to explain what I meant a lot, which reminded me that I needed to count my spoons. But, of course, that's just my own experience! I think they may sell journals that help you track them too.
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1lovemyheatingp8d

1y

Thank you for responding! This is very helpful
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thrillsnchills

1y

Yes that theory totally changed the way I look at myself and others.❤️

The content in this post is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition.

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