the spoon theory

 

Have you been told, “But you don’t look sick”? 

You’re not alone. 

“The Spoon Theory” has become such a popular analogy that it has its own forum tag. 

The idea is that patients living with a chronic illness have only a small number of spoons to use each day. 

As a result, they must carefully choose how they expend their energy, as each task or effort costs one spoon.

If they use up all their spoons too early, that’s all they can manage for the day. 

The drawer of spoons is empty. 

If you’ve found “The Spoon Theory” helpful in getting friends and family to understand, you may be interested to hear there’s a new (and quite humorous) companion analogy called “The Fork Theory,” developed by MS member OldSalt. Unlike spoons, forks are not something to cherish, but the very things that cause you pain and discomfort. Every day, the forks poke you, get in the way and pose challenges. You can try to put them in a drawer, but they’ll always return when you least expect. 

Can you relate to this notion of “battling forks” throughout your day? 

If so, perhaps your friends and family can too.