Spoon theory

In an earlier post I wrote about the spoon theory but can't seem to find it now!  I thought I would rewrite it in hopes that if anyone is having issues with their disability this will help them understand it better.

There are a lot of articles out there and a lot of people that are claiming ownership of the theory but it truth it has been around for a long, long, long time!  Wikipedia says The spoon theory is a disability metaphor used to explain the reduced amount of energy available for activities of daily living and productive tasks that may result from disability or chronic illness. Spoons are a tangible unit of measurement used to track how much energy a person has throughout a given day. Each activity requires a given number of spoons, which will only be replaced as the person "recharges" through rest. A person who runs out of spoons has no choice but to rest until their spoons are replenished.   According to Wikipedia the term spoons was coined by Christine Miserandino in 2003 in her essay "The Spoon Theory" that she posted on her website ButYouDontLookSick.com   

When I first 'came down' with Fibromyalgia I tried to keep on keeping on doing all the things that I had done all my life.  I found out pretty quick that was a road to disaster for me and I would find myself doing more harm then good.  I just couldn't believe that my fatigue, brain fog, etc was anything more then my working too many extra shifts at the hospital so I cut them out and I still had issues.  I figure I must have been issued 100 spoons a day back in the old days but when I got sick in 2009/10 someone stole 95 of spoons and left me with only 5 and left me wanting/needing more.  I found out really quickly that I couldn't cook dinner, vacuum, do laundry, go to the store, or garden all in the same day!  Dinner usually took a spoon, laundry about 3, shopping at Walmart all 5 and forget the garden unless I broke it into manageable bits.  I learned that I had to prioritize and schedule time to rest and recover or I flared up and stayed down for days and sometimes weeks.

Simple things like getting a shower and getting dressed some days took all 5 spoons and I climbed right back into bed!  It has taken me years to finally learn to manage my spoons and cope with life.  I used to feel so guilty that I am unable to do things I used to do.  I have found out that I have to be the #1 priority in my life or nothing gets done.  I have lost friends because they seem to think I am a flaker and not being truthful with them about how I feel and why I can't donate time and energy to stuff I used to do routinely.  Their loss cause on my good days I am still awesome!  I can't hike or even walk through Walmart anymore without using up my allotment of spoons.  Luckily as time has progressed and I have learned to manage my spoons I have gotten more spoons and the ability to do more.  I will never be back to 100% but I am better!  I live each day at a time and I never count on the same number of spoons to spend in a day because if I count on 20 I end up with 5 or vice versa.  I am a spoonie (embrace the spoon theory) but there are some that aren't.  I read this article on The Mighty the other day my Jennie Small entitled Why the Spoon Theory Doesn't Fit My Life and she has a valid point...it isn't for everyone!  That is something else we need to remember...there is no one fixer upper for any group of people because we are all so different.  We need to be tolerant of the difference.