Using The Spoon Theory For Mental Health And Wellness
On any given day, different individuals may have different energy levels depending on various factors. One element that can significantly impact energy levels is if a person has a disability, a chronic illness, chronic pain, and/or a long-term mental health condition. All of these have the potential to affect the way an individual is able to engage with the tasks of their day.
The spoon theory is a model that can help people living with illnesses or disabilities to compassionately and realistically manage their responsibilities and self-care and organize their daily lives in a way that best suits their needs and abilities. Read on to learn more about spoon theory and how it may help you balance your own well-being.
What is spoon theory?
Spoon theory offers a way to view energy as a finite level of resources that one has for a given day. The theory posits that each person wakes up in the morning with a certain number of “spoons,” or energy stores, that they can use in completing certain tasks. Some days, a person might have fewer spoons than other days due to symptoms of a chronic physical and/or mental health condition or related challenges.
For example, a person with chronic pain may have more intense pain when they wake up one morning than they did the day before. The mental and physical effort of managing this pain throughout the day may cost significant energy, or spoons. That could leave them with not enough left to engage in daily hygiene, eating, and work. With the help of the spoons theory framework, the person might decide to shower but not wash their hair, ask for accommodations to make their work less physically taxing, and/or use pre-made foods or meals so they can eat without it costing them too much effort.
Does spoon theory apply to mental health?
Spoon theory was initially created to explain the impact of physical illnesses like lupus, immune system disorders, fibromyalgia, and multiple sclerosis. Since then, however, it’s been used by people who face any of a variety of conditions or situations that may affect their energy levels, from physical disabilities to mental health conditions to forms of neurodivergence like autism.
When it comes to mental health, many different illnesses and challenges can affect a person’s energy levels—which means people in many different situations may benefit from spoon theory. In particular, conditions like depression, bipolar disorder, and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) often manifest as symptoms like fatigue or a loss of energy and motivation, which can lead to the person having less energy to complete daily tasks.
The history of spoon theory
Spoon theory was created in 2003 by a blogger named Christine Miserando. Christine lives with lupus and wanted to explain to those without a chronic illness what it’s like to live with the condition on a daily basis. She used spoons at a diner to represent how much energy she had in a given day to complete tasks. She explained that each spoon was a unit of energy, and a spoon was taken away each time a task was completed. Some activities could take more spoons, such as work or school. On some days, one task might take all of the spoons at once.
In her blog post on this topic, Christine writes, “It is only 7 pm. You have the rest of the night but maybe end up with one spoon, so you can do something fun, clean your apartment, or do chores, but you can’t do it all.” She explains how, at the end of the day, it’s often difficult for individuals with chronic illness to wind down, and symptoms can sometimes affect existing spoons to make them unusable on that day.
What kinds of activities take a lot of spoons?
The activities that take up spoons can differ depending on the person and the day. Some people might be more energized by tasks like showering, whereas others might find it extremely difficult.
That said, common activities that may take up a lot of spoons for someone with a chronic illness, disability, or mental health condition include the following:
- Waking up in the morning
- Going to work
- Focusing on work
- Taking a shower
- Brushing one’s teeth
- Cleaning one’s living space
- Taking pets for a walk
- Preparing and eating meals
- Completing forms and documents
- Making appointments
- Paying bills
- Spending time with friends, family members, or partners
- Practicing self-care in other ways
- Engaging in a hobby
- Learning a new skill
- Exercising
- Remembering to take medications or use medical devices
- Doing schoolwork
- Working on personal projects
An individual may find that they often choose one or a few of the above items to use their daily energy on but do not have the stores to do them all.
How the spoon theory can be helpful
The spoon theory can offer the opportunity to see tasks and energy levels in a new light. Below are two key ways to use this theory to your advantage if you live with a chronic illness, a disability, and/or a mental health condition.
Blocking and pacing time
Understanding how many spoons you may need to complete certain tasks can give you insight into times of the day or week when you most frequently spend energy and other moments when you might have more. That way, you may be able to make adjustments to your routine to better suit your needs.
For example, perhaps you spend a lot of spoons on work during the week and struggle to make dinners for yourself after. Meal prepping on Sundays, buying pre-cut fruits and vegetables or pre-prepared items, or planning a weekly schedule where a partner or roommate helps make meals on weeknights are all examples of ways you might make this self-care task easier for yourself using knowledge from spoon theory.
Setting boundaries and improving communication
Knowing what you have energy for in a given period may allow you to communicate your needs to others and let people know what kinds of accommodations you may need. For example, it could help you and your friends make plans to spend time together that suit your energy levels that day or allow you to divide household chores with a roommate in a way that matches your abilities in a given week.
Increasing self-compassion
According to research on the topic, self-compassion is “being supportive toward oneself when experiencing suffering or pain,” and practicing it may help improve both mental and physical well-being. Using spoon theory may help a person increase their levels of self-compassion. Understanding energy levels as finite and varied from one day to the next may be validating and help an individual act with empathy instead of holding themselves to rigid or unrealistic standards.
Asking for accommodations
Accommodations can look like schedule changes, tools, support, or behaviors that may make a certain task more manageable. Accommodations are often legally protected in professional and academic settings, and individuals can ask for informal accommodations with loved ones, too.
Accommodations may allow individuals to use fewer spoons to accomplish a task. For example, if one is given more time to complete a test at school or can sit at work instead of standing, they may have more energy to focus on the task at hand and engage in self-care when they finish.
Asking for accommodations can be scary, but it can help an individual preserve their energy and well-being. When requesting accommodations, it can help to be honest about your needs, fill out official documentation if necessary, and explain how extra energy may help you perform a given task more effectively and maintain your own health. Advocating for yourself in this way can be a form of boundary-setting and may also improve self-esteem and mental health, allowing you to work toward a more balanced lifestyle.
Seeking mental health support
Managing the emotions and mental health effects that may come with a lack of energy can be difficult. Therapy can be a helpful resource, as a trained therapist can guide you in expressing and processing your feelings and finding healthy ways to cope with challenges. If you’re living with a mental health condition, they can also help you in addressing your symptoms.
Traveling to and from in-person therapy appointments can seem overwhelming, especially for someone who has a condition or disability that can affect their energy levels. In such situations, online therapy can be a more convenient alternative, since you can attend sessions virtually from home or anywhere else you have an internet connection. Virtual sessions may require fewer spoons than in-office visits, potentially reducing an obstacle to mental health care for individuals with chronic illnesses or disabilities. Research suggests that online and in-person therapy can offer similar benefits in many cases, so you may be able to choose whichever format best suits your needs.
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