Have you heard of spoon theory? If not, check out these frequently asked questions about it! Share it with your friends and family when you’re too low on spoons to explain it to them.
Spoon theory is a metaphor that describes the difference between being physically sick and/or disabled and being healthy.
Christine Miserandino came up with the spoon theory at a restaurant when explaining to her best friend what it was like to have Lupus. You can read the full story here.
Each spoon represents an arbitrary amount of energy you have remaining in your body. People who experience fatigue and other physical differences that make completing tasks will have fewer spoons than healthy and able-bodied people due to the impact of those disabilities and illnesses.
I.e. someone with the common cold may temporarily have fewer spoons than the average person while they’re experiencing its symptoms, but someone with chronic fatigue will always have fewer spoons.
Spending a spoon means you’re making a conscious choice to put effort into that particular task.
When you are out of spoons, it means you are physically done for the day. Your body and its energy have been spent and you can’t push yourself through any more tasks without causing additional injury or pain to yourself.
Someone who is low on spoons is approaching this point and therefore must consider carefully what they spend their remaining spoons on, especially if it’s still early in the day and there are expectations for them to complete tasks later.
There are a lot of ways to get spoons but not all are available to everyone. Some examples may include sleeping, pain relief taking effect, and body doubling (also known as “spoon sharing”).
When a healthy person decides to take a shower, not much thought goes into the physical actions it takes to complete the task. They simply undress, turn on the water, get in, wash up, rinse, get out, dry, get dressed, and then they’re done. Sure, it takes time and some effort, but an able-bodied person doesn’t lose much energy, if at all, doing this task. That’s why people assume it’s something that is “easy” or “simple” to carry out. Perhaps it cost them one spoon to shower.
However, someone who is ill or disabled may need to use more physical strength or mental willpower to get through this task. For example, someone who has no legs will need to use more arm strength to move their body in and out of the bathtub than someone who has legs. Someone who has a respiratory infection may take longer to catch their breath because it is difficult for them to move and breathe. Perhaps it cost these people three or four spoons to shower.
By the end of the day, it takes an ill or disabled person more spoons to complete the same tasks as a healthy or able-bodied person, so they will have fewer spoons.
