Spoons

Did you enjoy your history break?

Well today I am going to educate you

on 

SPOONS!

Did I say SPOONS?

Yes, I did but actually its more

about the theory of spoons otherwise

known as The Spoon Theory. 

Have you ever heard about The

Spoon Theory?

Are you a spoonie?

How did this converstaion or post

get started for me? Well, last

week I went over to the venue to

help with some spring time cleaning

up. I was not required. Julie and another

friend Heather was going to be out doing

things and I was invited to come laugh,

watch or supervise. I went to 

work. It was a good day for me

so I knew I was pretty much safe.

I took several breaks because that

is me...I have to do that.

Towards the end of clearing Julie

asked how I was and how I do some

of the things I do.

I thought of the Spoon Theory but

I was neither in the frame of

mind to show her using something

besides spoons so I sent her a link

later that day when I woke from 

my nap!

The link is below.....

https://butyoudontlooksick.com/articles/written-by-christine/the-spoon-theory/

After reading the link above you will understand this

next pic better.

Today is Sunday at 12:37 pm

and I have used 13 spoons.

I am breaking now. I have

been breaking for about an 

hour after my bath.

You see I got out of bed (2), 

after laying around I took

a bath (4), washed my hair (5) and

dressed (2).

I really need to go to the grocery store

BUT

I also need to change sheets,

wash dishes left from 

yesterday and finish

putting away laundry

so instead I sit her in my

zero gravity chair in the sun

coming through the screen on 

the deck and decided I could

blog instead of using spoons

doing what I need to do.

My thoughts are if I wait long

enough, I will feel better and 

more like doing something.

One issue is that you can actually

run out of spoons which

means that you are basically done

for the day.

7 Signs that You’re Running Out of Spoons

June 27, 2019 by ME/CFS Self-Help Guru

One frustrating thing about energy limiting chronic illnesses like ME/CFS, Fibromyalgia and Lyme disease, is that energy levels can fluctuate from one day to the next. Christine Miserandino’s Spoon Theory has helped many people understand the concept of rationing out your energy by relating an energy unit to a spoon, but what happens on those days when something is affecting your spoon count and you haven’t realised it yet?

There are 7 things I look out for as warning signs that my energy is running lower than usual

1. Feeling hungry all the time

One of the things that I’ve noticed can be a good indicator that my energy is lower than I think it is, is feeling hungrier than usual, and eating not really helping that feeling. I think my body still relates fatigue with lack of fuel so tries to tell me to eat when my energy is low. The problem isn’t with the fuel though it’s with the engine not being able to use it properly. When I’m managing my energy well, I don’t get that ‘anxious to eat feeling’ that comes when my energy is running out.

2. Noticing effort

How much effort you have to put into something is a great sign of whether your energy is flowing easily or not. I aim to do everything I do as effortlessly as possible so that when it becomes more difficult to be effortless, I know that my energy is dropping. I generally use effort as an indicator that either my energy is running low or that I’m using my energy ineffectively.

3. Feeling pressured or emotional

I often find that a sense of pressure is also a sign that I haven’t really got the resources to do what I’m trying to do. On some days even something as simple as taking a shower can feel like a stress or a pressure. When this happens, I know I’m having a low energy day. That feeling of having to pressure yourself to get something done is a great tip off that the spoons you need for it just aren’t there!

When my spoons are really low and I’m nearing a crash I sometimes feel really close to tears for no apparent reason. This is another sign for me that I’m overtired and I need to cut right back.

4. Feeling better when you know you shouldn’t

Sometimes getting low on energy triggers the adrenaline response which can actually make it seem like we have more energy. If you can suddenly do things that would normally be a stretch at a time when you know that it’s unlikely that your energy is good, then it’s likely you’re in adrenaline mode. This means you’ll be on emergency energy production and there’s going to be a price to pay!

5. Mind racing or talking fast

Another indication that you’ve already switched into adrenaline mode, and may be running on empty, is a racing mind. When I inadvertently switch to adrenaline to get me through something that I don’t really have the energy for, I also find myself talking really fast. When I notice these signs, I know I have to take actions to calm myself down and then rest before I crash!

6. Word finding getting worse

Brain fog is another sign that my spoons are pretty low. And one of the early warning signs is that I have more trouble than usual finding my words and finishing my sentences. I have quite a bit of difficulty with this anyway, but when it’s every other sentence I’m struggling with I know I’m in trouble.

7. Can’t think any more

Sometimes, if I get carried away doing some mental task that I enjoy, I suddenly find myself at a point where I just can’t think any more. Once I’m at this point, I know I have to rest, in fact I have no choice in the matter, but it’s a sure sign that I’m running low on spoons and I need to be careful how I spend them for the rest of the day.

And more intense pain for me!

Yesterday I had a better day. I got the bathroom scrubbed, living room dusted, floors dusted and mopped, things put away and did three loads of laundry, one which is still in the dryer as I type. 

So with that said, I think I used up yesterday and todays spoons.

Although what I did yesterday I do not feel 

I wasted, it was things that needed doing.

This is for sure how I feel today.

(notice how I found a arrow to point

to the next pic..shaped like a spoon?)

Oops and there in lies yet another issue,

I don't have a dishwasher!

This is how I live my life, I don't actually

count spoons but I do look

at what I have to do in a day and 

I decide when my feet hit the

floor what I will do 

that given day. Some days, I 

say 

FORK 

it all and I do something I want

to do like paint. 

But keep in  mind, just cause

I picked something I WANTED to do,

it still takes spoons. 

While cleaning yesterday I thought about 

the days before fibro, the days

I could knock out a four 

bedroom, 3 bath house

cleaning it top to bottom in 

four hours. 

How I usually never sat for breaks.

How I went from one thing

to another and still had time

for things I wanted to do. 

I miss me. That has been

the hardest thing of all.

I miss the me I was. I miss the person

that went and went and went.

I miss the person that was so 

social and the one that never

had to cancel plans cause 

I used all my spoons. 

Also remember that some 

mornings I wake without a 

spoon to my name. 

No bath, no hair washing,

no fixing a meal.....

Pam