depression

Have you ever heard of the Spoon Theory? Has anyone ever called you a “Spoonie” and you didn’t know why? The YouTube video below, by Christa McAuliffe, is a great illustration of The Spoon Theory. The original Spoon Theory story is written by Christine Miserandino.

In her writing, she describes what it’s like to have an invisible illness and run out of the energy it takes to complete simple, everyday tasks. Think about this. You wake up, take a shower, brush your teeth, and make breakfast (or lunch depending on what time you wake up). Do you have enough energy to do anything else? Drive your kids to school, work on your mid-term report, take a walk, deal with Excel and crazy formulas, wash laundry, vacuum?

https://youtu.be/VFY81e396ag

Maybe you have only enough energy to do a couple more things on your list before you need a nap or you are just done for the day. You don’t have enough energy to make dinner before everyone gets home or stay up past 8 pm because your body has run out of fuel. On really bad days, I personally wake up with about 4 to 5 spoons.

I can get up to brush my teeth, fill up my water bottle, and save the rest for restroom breaks throughout the day. I can’t cook for myself, I can’t drive anyone anywhere, I can’t walk to the kitchen. I’m basically bed-ridden. On really good days, I start my day with about 30 spoons – the most awesome feeling in the world.