Spending Energy Wisely

By now, most people have heard of Christine Miserandino’s Spoon Theory. Essentially, it’s the idea that you have a finite amount of energy to expend throughout the day, and you must budget your energy expenses accordingly. This is especially true for folks struggling with issues like fatigue and depression among others. Every little thing that neuro-typical people take for granted, like getting out of bed, showering, etc., cost a little bit of energy, aka a spoon. Bigger things, like dealing with people at work, going to the store, etc., those cost several spoons.

I think the theory should be updated.  It’s like a mana or energy bar in one of those mobile games.  Every action in game costs energy, some actions cost more energy than others.  And once you run out of energy, you’ve got to log out for a while, and wait – sometimes an hour, sometimes a day.  Just like each game has different time limits and whatnot, each person is different. For some, a good night will refill that energy bar, but if we don’t get enough good, quality sleep, it’s like going back to the game before the energy bar is refilled. Yea, you can play, but won’t be able to do nearly as much as you would have if you got a full refill.

Maybe it’s a stupid analogy, but it works for me.  Anyway.  Point is, even though I can see the light at the end of my tunnel, I still need to budget my energy usage, because depression is like a permanent energy debuff. When everyone else is starting the game with 100%, I might be at 75% or lower.

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