Spoon Theory

There is a disconnect between those with EDS and those without. Those without EDS have no idea the fatigue, tiredness, pure exhaustion that we feel. They also don't understand how much energy it takes to do the simplest things. Those who do have EDS spend so much time trying to explain these things in a way that others will understand, but typically they aren't successful. As someone with EDS and various other illnesses I can't just say I am tired, or that I don't have the energy for something. When I say that I get responses like "you're just lazy," "you always have an excuse," "that is such a terrible excuse," "you're always too tired," and my personal favorite "you're not the only one in the world who is tired," etc.  People don't understand how hard it really is. Others don't seem to get that I, along with others with these same illnesses, remain tired 24/7. When I finally tell someone that I am tired it means that I can't push through the tiredness anymore in order to continue whatever it is that I was doing. It means that I need to go home, sit down, take a nap because there is just no energy left to muster up. I, along with many others, have struggled for a long time trying to explain this to others to no avail. I finally was introduced to the Spoon Theory a few years back. I have actively used this theory to explain my tiredness and exhaustion in a way that could be understood by others since then.

The original Spoon Theory comes from this link; https://butyoudontlooksick.com/articles/written-by-christine/the-spoon-theory/

The Spoon Theory breaks down different actives into a different number of spoons required to complete. The spoons are physical representations of ones' energy for the day. A "normal" person is supposed to have an unlimited number of spoons for a day making it so that they don't have to think about it. However someone with EDS may start the day with only 12 spoons. Since they have a limited number of spoons for the day they are forced to ration them. They are unable to accomplish all of their daily tasks and are forced to pick and choose what they will do based on the number of spoons required for the task versus the number of spoons left for the day. This theory is a great resource for explain this struggle to others.