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Spoon Up — Taking Care of Yourself First
Are you feeling particularly low on energy or stamina but can’t point to an exact reason? You may be low on spoons.
No, not the ones in your cabinet, the “spoons” you metaphorically hold. The Spoon Theory has been a frequently shared metaphor since Christine Miserandino introduced the concept in 2003 in her essay “The Spoon Theory”. Originally Miserandino spoke about “spoons” in terms of a disability or chronic illness metaphor, often one that is unseen and therefore overlooked by those who do not have said disability.
It’s now come to encompass willpower depletion, fatigue, depression, or other internal factors that are felt that can accept pacing or participation in activities ranging from simple conversation to an outing with friends or a partner.
One spoon, two spoon, blue spoon, no spoon
I didn’t know I had spoons until I didn’t have spoons. For the last decade as I’ve mentioned, I suffered from a mysterious “illness”. Many tests and appointments were had to solve the illness. Eventually, it was determined the illness was in fact stress and anxiety. This coupled with a lower back injury that flares up whenever it feels like, often throbbing throughout my entire right side, has caused me to take pause before agreeing to and when planning social and everyday…
