Everything You Need to Know about The Spoon Theory

Most people don’t think twice about the energy it takes to shower, clean, get dressed, or drive to work. Most people can go to the gym in the morning and still have the energy to make dinner in the evening. Most people can make plans and keep them.

However, when you have a chronic illness, you’re not most people.

What is The Spoon Theory?

In a blog titled “The Spoon Theory,” Christine Miserandino narrates how she demonstrated to her friend what it’s like to have lupus. While chatting at a diner, Miserandino handed her friend 12 spoons. She told her the spoons represented units of energy and asked her to describe her daily activities.

Photo by Anna Kumpan on Unsplash

As her friend went through her tasks, she took away a spoon for activities like showering, getting dressed with painful joints, standing on public transportation. Skipping lunch, she explained, would cost a spoon, too. When the spoons were gone, it meant she expended all the energy for the day.

Spoonies Unite

Miserandino’s blog took fire over social media, empowering other people with chronic illnesses with a new way to quantify their fatigue. Now there are legions of “spoonies” creating communities all over the internet to discuss how best to plan their days around the number of spoons they have available.

Counting Your Spoons

How many spoons does a person wake up with, and how many does it take to perform basic tasks? That depends on the person, the day, and the disease. When a disease is flaring, a shower might take ten spoons; if a person is on medication and having a good day, it may not even take a full spoon.

Most people with chronic conditions plan how to spend their spoons in advance. “I have learned to live life with an extra spoon in my pocket, in reserve. You need to always be prepared,” Miserandino shares.

Written by: Kiki Dyemi