Not enough spoons
A friend of mine recently texted me:
“I know we have plans in a couple of hours. But I don’t have any spoons left.”
I knew exactly what she meant.
Spoon Theory is all about the physical and mental energy required to get things done — and it goes like this:
Some days you might wake up with 100 spoons. Some days you wake up with 4 spoons. It’s going to take some number of spoons to navigate your day — getting out of bed, showering, getting dressed, feeding the dog, making small talk at work. And all that doesn’t even get you to 9 AM.
We all need to ration out our spoons, and sometimes we just don’t have enough spoons left to do something, even if we want to.
Chronic illness, neurodiversity, world events, mental health issues, stress, anxiety, overwhelm, lack of sleep, hormones, sensory overload, and a million other things might impact the number of spoons you start the day with, and how many spoons it might take to do various tasks.
Christine Miserandino created this theory as she tried to come up with a way to explain how lupus impacts her life. She was at dinner with a friend and grabbed spoons to explain the everyday things that can be debilitating for people who struggle with their energy levels.
A significant part of self-care is being intentional about how and when we are using our spoons. I have very few spoons right now, after doing this 48-hour trip to London to see the Mrs. Doubtfire Musical. (Super fun, but getting up on a theater stage and speaking in front of 1,000+ audience members took a shitload of my spoons.)
I understand that my spoon drawer is low right now, and I’m being kind to myself about it. I’m not saying that I’m lazy or I suck or I should be feeling something else. The glorious thing is that there is no judgment about the spoons. They’re either there, or they are not.
Either way, we’ll be ok. And the magic thing is that when we rest and listen to our bodies, more spoons show up eventually.
(Many thanks to Jo for reminding me of this helpful framework. And if you want to hear more wise things from Jo, she does coaching and is all-around amazing.)
Here’s what else happened this week:
What I saw
The trip to London was super fast, but we managed to do neato things like visiting the Imperial War Museum and walking the Millennium Bridge over the Thames. A short reel, including the moment when I got attacked by a robot at the airport, can be seen here:
What I ate
While in London, we had an amazing meal at a Bombay-style Irani cafe: Dishoom Because of course. It was phenomenal, and the story of it is even better.
Dishoom pays homage to the Irani cafés and the food of all Bombay. Opened early last century by Zoroastrian immigrants from Iran, these cafés broke down barriers by bringing people together over food and drink. They were the first places in Bombay where people of any culture, class or religion could take cool refuge from the street with a cup of chai, a simple snack or a hearty meal. People from all walks of life shared tables, rubbed shoulders and broke bread together. Shared spaces beget shared experiences, and Bombay was more open and welcoming for the existence of these cafés.
What I was startled by
Giving a little speech on the West End Theatre stage after the curtain call for the Doubtfire Musical was quite the experience. They had warned me that there would be “confetti cannons” and I cringed. Being a highly sensitive person means my startle reflex is through the roof. Here is the moment when everyone else is delighted by the confetti, and I’m standing in the middle, in red — clutching my exploding heart and jumping out of my skin. (There is more footage of this experience on Instagram - here, here and here.)
Upcoming live workshops
Once I rest a little, I’m going to gather all the spoons to prepare for some live workshops. They are so much fun and help us get connected to what really matters. I hope you grab some spoons and join me.
Burnout Prevention at Kripalu
Learn to identify—and manage—the inner and outer challenges in your life.
Explore ways to avoid becoming overwhelmed.
Understand your own power and how to practice restoring yourself back to wellness.
Create and sustain a meaningful path forward.
Yoga and Writing for Anxiety at Omega!
Create a powerful practice to support your mental and emotional well-being
Access your creativity to address trauma and heal from past experiences
Explore and transform your inner critic and identifying narratives
Use neuroplasticity to identify detrimental mental patterns and make changes to your thoughts and behaviors
Create and/or deepen your meditation practice
Use ancient yogic philosophy and therapeutic writing to gain a deeper understanding of your purpose, connection, and authentic power
Thanks for being here, friends. I love writing to you every week. Take good care of your spoons.
Much love,
~Lisa