easy ways to get spoons?

Hey...

please check out this thread first, if you need to look up what is meant with spoons : https://permies.com/t/48536/spoon-theory

I see a problem, that many ways to get more spoons (or to reduce/prevent loss of spoons) will need some spoons to be invested upfront. So you need to have (at least some) spoons to get more and to keep your spoons.

I m thinking of ways to get spoons that are easy enough to do, even when your currently low on spoons.

drink enough water

caffeine (if that helps)

chocolate (we prefer around 80% cocao-content)

fun with children and/or animals

just laughing for no reason (just as an exercise)

going for a slow walk

meditation/prayer/deep relaxation-techniques

clearing your head by writing ToDo-list

taking a bath (or even a shower)

bathing or washing with alkaline stuff (baking soda, magnesium chloride, epsom salt ...)

taking vitamins (might not work much as short term solution, but could help long term)

watching good videos

listening to good music

deep breathing (wim hof method offers a good beginners technique)

applications of cold water (again: the beginners steps of wim ho method)

changing your view/perspective of the situation

being in the moment, here and now

talking to nice people (without putting them into spoon-drain)

just shaking your body and loosing the tension/stress (again: good music, deep breathing, laughing can be combined with that. Even prayer can be mixed into it. Letting go of stuff. Freeing oneself.)

watered down alcohol (if that is appropiate in your case/situation)

eating hot stuff (ginger, curry, chili etc...

What helps you?

What helps me:

- taking a b12 and vitamin d supplement regularly.

- going on long walks with my sweetie.

- meditating

- a warm cup of tea,  or if really low,  coffee with cinnamon,  cardamom, and nutmeg.

- tending to something living.

- thinking, and then acting on,  ways I can improve, or ways I can improve the situation.

- spending ten, and just ten,  minutes working on something that's really stressing me out.

hey andie,
thank you and welcome to the forums.

funny thing: when thinking about vitamins, I had B and D in mind.

Thanks for the welcome, Tobias! I actuality had an account here years ago, but couldn't remember the login. Oh well, fresh start.

drinking juices (veggies or fruit)

smiling (internally and/or externally)

speaking (or thinking) good words about oneself and other persons ("be-nice"-inner-dialogue, positive affirmation, blessing ...)

stop reading the news. better read something helpfull on permies. something that really helps you and others to make a change.

(ok, stopping to read/watch news is more a way to protect oneself from spoon-drain.)

Exercise!  Try the 7-minute workout if (like most of us) you're strapped for time.  If I do it before bed, the whole next day is better.

When you're stuck and frustrated about something, putting it to the side and just doing something _different_ can be very helpful.  If you were doing something sitting down indoors, go for a walk outside.  If you're frustrated with your partner, go talk to a friend instead.  If you were doing tricky detail work with your hands, go lift something heavy that doesn't require finesse.  And so on.

i was thinking about the spoons thing the other day..and i know several different people have articulated a similar concept in different ways...but suddenly i was thinking about Aleister Crowley. yes, a weirdo, writing in an overly cryptic way to be misunderstood, and already being largely misunderstood...but one of his repeated main points was about what he called current 93.

to translate/paraphrase into permies speak  - he was basically getting at how to get abundant free spoons, with no output/cost - this being finding one's true will/right livelihood/genuine calling/authentic self...and then having the stregnth, courage and determination to make it happen and live true to one's self. this may be an oversimplification...but that was one of his main talking points ..this was "magick" ...that these currents of energy would assist when one was following one's true path...
ah some food for thought...

what helps me when i am low on spoons ? usually i just decide to do whatever it is that i want, go on "vacation" or more usually a staycation...just decide i will do whatever makes me happy that i enjoy...take some time to just be, and then be easy on myself for blowing off whatever deadlines/must do/chores/etc...i suppose i have been on a permanent vacation for quite a while now =) i know i am rather lucky for having so much free time and little pressure in my little world...even if that means i am short on $$ or whatever else...there can be a blessing in just learning to be ok with small steps, a small life, gently inching along.

fortunately i like to work on things...so whatever i want to do is usually productive...go out foraging or swimming, work on the gardens, make art...or just have a nice quiet days indoors reading/binge watching movies/meditating...

I got lots of spoons at the Women's March. Really replenished them.

Paul likes to use Sundays as a day to re-charge, replenish, re-energize - in other words, build spoons.

We took a walk up the volcano at wheaton labs base camp today. Walking outdoors in nature, almost always gives me spoons. It was lovely.

The spring ephemerals like this shooting star blossom are not out yet, but they are starting to sprout!


Some times, when walking around base camp, we see things left out or needing to be done, which can be a drain - the opposite of being restorative.

Lately, that has not been the case, thanks to the good people here. Of course, there is still a LOT that we want to be done, but we're making progress and doing better about focusing on that.

Other things that work for me are:

gardening

drinking in art and joy

hearing (or reading) an artful story

helping others (in useful ways - as part of my work, or when I'm inspired)

When I worked for the railroad it was a kind of a tough job because we might wait for hours in our 12 hour shift, then in a moments notice, be expected to jump into action and go like blue-blazes for a few hours...languish as trains rolled by...then go back out for an hour or two more. Going from lethargic blob to workaholic in seconds was grueling. I found bee pollen supplements to work really well.

Just going for hikes on my farm nets me a high return on spoons. I keep track of the place, and I just feel better, often hiking alone.

Spoon theory isn't meant to apply to everyone--it's specifically used in the context of disability and chronic illness. The author of the idea and of the article that sparked the conversation is Christine Miserandino, a person with Lupus. You can check that out here: https://butyoudontlooksick.com/articles/written-by-christine/the-spoon-theory/. The idea is that people without chronic illness wake up with unlimited spoons which are replenished with a good night's sleep/a good meal/a nice shower, but those with chronic illness have limited spoons. Showering uses, rather than replenishes, spoons. They may need to borrow spoons from tomorrow, opt out of activities to save spoons, or be totally zonked for 3 days by an activity that is a breeze for someone else.

That being said, to be able-bodied is a temporary state: many people experience a long term illness or disabling condition one or more times during their lives. So learning to manage our energy reserves and take self care is certainly imperative to avoid burnout and "stay young" long into elderhood. Either way, spoon theory by nature refers to those with chronic, long term conditions as they exist and persist now.

It's important not to decontextualize metaphors used by people with disability and chronic illness. We may accidentally perpetuate systemic and individual harm if we subsume this powerful tool for describing the (usually misunderstood and dismissed) experiences of people with disabilities and chronic illnesses into a descriptor for the experiences of people whose bodies and minds more closely fit within norms and systems of society ( AKA, the ability to do more and produce more overall).

A society hinged on monocultural agriculture/factory farming/mass production and shipment of goods and services/destruction of biomes and cultures (with all its unsustainable production methods) relies on long hours of labor from able bodied people; and thereby the invalidation and rejection of people who are unable to work set hours and set paces, and/or contribute in the "right ways." So, proper representation is key to creating a more sustainable and just society within permacultural frameworks.

I invite you to read Christine's piece, and consider how the energy resources that a person living with a disability or chronic illness have differ from those of someone living without one(s). Christine deserves credit for their ideas to support the labor they put in to educate people on chronic illness/disability.  

Again, taking care of ourselves when we don't have a chronic illness/disability is certainly a fine preventative measure, so I appreciate people chiming in on that note.


Thanks and enjoy!

It's interesting and useful to know the origin of spoon theory, and I can see how important it is for people with limiting conditions (and their friends and contacts) to understand it.

On the other hand, lots of people without defined conditions can face similar issues sometimes, and applying spoon theory to their lives does not invalidate the application by the chronically ill. In fact, wider acceptance may help spread awareness and acceptance of spoon theory applied to people who seriously depend on constant application of it.