Spoonie without spoons

So as some of you may know, the last few months for me have been pretty strenuous.
My question to you is, when you wake up daily without any spoons at all, consistently, how do you deal with it? What do you do? A lot of my hobbies use my hands which cant handle anything right now. I feel like I’m bored out of my mind but have no spoons to help myself! Where can I find those mysterious spoons again? They seem to elude me these days.

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Rosellas, you are not alone ! I feel like this time of year is particularly difficult, winter months zap my zest . I try to increase my vit D . ( check with your doctor 1st ) . I feel like taking more during the winter is helpful. Also any day that there is sunshine, I go sit in front of that window for as long as my body will allow me to stay still . Lastly I just rest and try to accept that this is the cycle of fibromyalgia it’s not going to last this severe for ever ( just like major pain flairs ) it is difficult not to get impatient with myself but I try to just do what I can to get through the day. My body just kind of let’s me know when there’s enough energy to do extra , so I’d say be patient listen to your body’s signals and try not to over do it on the days you do find the bigger “ serving” spoon ! Hang in there!

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Winter sure is more difficult…do you sleep ok ? Have you had your vit d checked… it can cause issues this time of year

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Hi Rosellas - not easy at all, if we seem to have not one starting point.
BTW - you seem to have coined a phrase, I can’t find it elsewhere on the web :slight_smile:
I think I’ll use it for a bit of gallow’s humour now and then… :smirk_cat:

My first and only priority is then my body, my hobby too,

  • finding best positions, what movements are possible, and doing them as much & varied as possible,
  • putting legs & arms up as much as possible,
    doing breathing, breath-holding,
  • trying all 6 types relaxation and things I learnt in CBT/therapy: positive affirmations etc., inner self-care.
  • Then eating, drinking, fresh air (open windows), heat/cold, finding what is best for me, including cuddling in bed.
  • Also checking my sleep (sleep lab?) and as Jse123 & Lmd say getting bloods checked etc. would be what I’d try to get organized.
  • Hobbies: I must say I spent and still a lot of time getting myself/my body sorted out, when I was on sick leave it was my full time job and my hobby, and I enjoyed at last being able to accept looking after me, - but when I did have time & energy for more, I look/ed for exactly those hobbies that I can do, like listening to old music, looking for new etc.

I guess with ‘no spoons’ we vaguely mean “complete fatigue” and fatigue is again vague for about 8 different things I have (cf. What exactly do we mean by 'fatigue'?), which I pinpoint, analyze and treat… The spoon theory and It’s ending ‘no spoons’ are terms, or rather images, which helps us explain to others and ourselves that we have much less “capacity” than when we were healthy, but not one which is helpful to motivate us, keep our heads & heart & drive up. It is one which explains to us the negative present, which we do need to a certain extent, but it also holds us there, preserves the status quo and stops us finding ways of developing of getting out again… In the words of one good motivation/personality psychologist here, it is “state-oriented” rather than “action-oriented”…
State-oriented is good in as far as there is absolutely no hope, i.e. as regards that we’ll stay stuck with this illness. But as Jse123 says there is always the hope that we’ll come out of flares, it may take months, but there’ll always be slightly better moments and days, and it is possible to identify triggers and treatments etc. to make it “as good as it can be”…

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Yesterday evening I only had half a spoon left: full flare, but still managed a bit of food shopping. This morning I’m not sure - a great night’s sleep again/for a change, but not many spoons today either, I don’t think, a part of me says: none. So body & strict pacing has first priority. Eating, drinking, fresh air, cold showering.

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I’m all out of spoooooooooons, running on empty, been working ALL day. Will definitely crash, and crash BIG this weekend. Love to All. Nite Nite :purple_heart:
A.M.

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OH, ladies and gents, you had me confused on the spoons, thank you Jayc’s for updating me. I thought you were talking about using your hands, I have such bad arthritis in my hands, or should I say, more the thumbs, but I can’t always use real spoons or utensils… Excuse me, for not knowing, but … I have been in a major, major flare, as in no spoons. I usually have to use magnesium and nuerotin to get some rest… When the sun is out, I just sit in front of the window and try to relax. Resting and being comfortable is a tough thing… I don’t even want to be in the bath, which is my 1st go too… I hope you all start to have some rest. And some tea!!

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