How Spoon Theory Affects Autistic People | Living with Autism 

I need more spoons, because I use more spoons than a neurotypical, even for normal tasks.

I suffer from PTSD, chronic pain and panic disorder.... I know exactly how you feel.... The number of spoons lessen as the day goes by.... 😢 Sometimes I need more than a few days to recover.... I took my mom to chemo and ran a few errands after..... It felt like I had run the New York City marathon at the end of my day

I try to rest as much as I can but usually I can't because I feel guilty. I drive in traffic over an hour everyday to work. Then I work with mod/ sev students. I have no spoons. The masking and cognitive work it takes everyday is a marathon. As Orion has said on his channel. I have no words for anyone. It can leave many of us with a lonely life.

I could feel your exhaustion, Jenny! We have to do our once-a-month Walmart grocery trip this week and that will leave me jammy-fied for the next day! I almost had to laugh when you wondered why we mask in places where we don't even know anyone. The masking is just so ingrained, and for sure it's the main reason why ANYTHING we do socially drains us so much. Here's what I think: Humor...being able to laugh at ourselves in these situations...sometimes I think that's the key, you know?

I really feel this! Been in burnout a while & have to conserve what spoons I have for important things.

I think part of the struggle with unmasking is that a lot of us created our personalities around people pleasing to the point where we have difficulty identifying what attributes about ourselves really constitute "us." It took me probably about 3 years to mostly take off the mask, and when I'm around unfamiliar people or people who scare me (often the same thing), the mask comes straight back up. The journey to being comfortable in your own skin and healing your trauma is more of a dance than a straight path. You're doing a good job. Try not to be so hard on yourself. 💕

Wow, Jenny... you tackled more that day than I could! After the zoo there's no way I could've handled a mall. Maybe strictly to plunk myself down somewhere, sip on some special coffee and people watch...like an extension of the zoo visit, lol. I avoid malls altogether these days. Oh---not not a jazz fan--but that music really went well with the hectic pace of your Nashville trip! I'm only half-way through the vid. but had to comment. And you look so pretty, especially with your knitted hat!

I suffer from a number of chronic illnesses with fibromyalgia being the icing on the cake. And today I'm dealing with a cough and a fever - lovely ... and I had tickets to a British stand up comedy show tomorrow. I'm used to dealing with less spoons, I plan my day accordingly and I'm grateful for every single thing I can achieve, I use music and silly dances to lift up my mood ... but when I really cannot do something I was looking forward to, it just sucks big time this week. Then on top of that all the anxieties, masking, thoughts, not understanding neurotypical behaviour, smells, sights, lights. Life is exhausting!

I’m using foam earplugs more. They help reduce background noise. Those anti-glare glasses help too. They bring out details, make the world seem to be in high definition, so it feels like I don’t have to work as hard to see things.

Hahahah... love it!!! The beginning) (Prepared!... ready, aim, fire!) Start: 🥄🥄🥄🥄🥄🥄🥄🥄🥄 Masking: 🥄🥄🥄🥄🥄🥄 Socialization: 🥄🥄🥄 Just plain fun!!!: 🥄 Next day... -🥄-🥄-🥄-🥄 = -4 🥄s Great video! 🙏❤🙏 🌻

This is such an important topic ! I still struggle to know what amount of energy I have in 1 spoon, it's difficult to know how many of them I have left. I have to deal with continuous intense pain at the same time, I wonder if I have less spoons or smaller spoons than I should (if I didn't have pain issues). But I know I don't have any spoon left after lunch, and I need a nap to have a little bit of energy back for the afternoon. I'm trying the "bean" method to find out how to handle better my energy levels. (Having a few beans in my pocket is easier than a few tea-spoons !) But I don't feel the same level of energy every morning, and I never really know if I start the day with the right number of beans... I could feel how exhausted you were... I have difficulties to talk too when I'm low on spoons. If I'm too exhausted, I can't speak at all, and I can have a meltdown for no good reason. When I go out, I need my own car, because it's full of things "just-in-case", even if I know most of them will be useless. Years ago, I was feeling exausted just thinking about unloading the car at the end of the day, and I started to buy some things double, just to have one set at home and one set in the car all the time. It was before I knew about autism... Of course, I can't do that with everything, but it helps, and I feel less anxious. Have a nice week with more spoons !

Chronic fatigue here. Spoons go quick! Sometimes only have 2 spoons tonstart with. Well Done you for putting this up when Feeling exhausted. Have a rest day today. Whatever , you did your best . I find i do alternate days. One day i do something, one thing only( like a focus group for sn hour) next day is Reading/quiet day/creative day at home . Next day a long walk, next day rest. Peopley days require me to definitely go in cave the next day. Your day was very full. Thats just fatigue syndrome goodness knows how an autistic person deals with this on top of everything! Vit B injections ( i dint absorb it well orally) are the only thing that take away my brain fog and givecme a bit if energy, as its important to somehow get out and play!

Super understand and wish I could help. Rest and restore. When we return from any even mini trip. I often just put ouur suitcases in the house to the side and leave them for days. Cause Im so pathetic I can t even deal with washing and putting it all away etc. When my husbands health fell apart 2.5 years ago, and my sons autism started to hit new major obstacles and melt downs, my house has fallen into a heap of a mess. I feel pretty ashamed yet cant ever seem to get it back on track. Its been pretty disorganized and cluttered and sometimes dirty over the past few years. I jsut dont have enough spoons to deal with that. Apparently Ive decided my spoons are being spent on family and coping with that and thats all I got.

Enjoy the content. The RU-vid algorithm really likes to push the videos that are 8 minutes and longer because of how they like to insert commercials. If your videos are less than 8 minutes the algorithm pretty much ignores the video unfortunately.

I got silicone mats for my stone counter tops so I’m finally not bracing myself every time I goto put down a plate or glass.

The ADHD side of me loves trips. The autistic side not as much. In the past the ADHD side took over and I did really well with trips. Since I have had a chronic illness trips have been a lot harder. The packing is especially hard and sometimes the transportation is painful.

How do people estimate the number of spoons they have? I like the concept for quantifying, but usually if I'm discussing spoons it's because I'm out of them, lol. I'm horrible at estimating a lot to other things as well, so maybe that plays in. I feel like my number of spoons is generally "yes" or "no". 🙃

I think oftentimes other people respond better to the mask. So that's why we do it.