Why am I so overwhelmed all the time? Understanding burnout using The Spoon Theory

What is the Spoon Theory:

Christine Miserandino, a writer and advocate, wrote The Spoon Theory to explain her lived experience with Lupus.

This idea is now often used by neurodivergent people and those living with a chronic illness or disability to explain differences in their energy levels and daily experiences that might be missed or misunderstood by others, from the outside looking in.

The Spoon Theory Explained:

Each ‘spoon’ represents a unit of energy and each person begins the day with a certain number of spoons.

Spoons of energy are used when completing daily tasks or activities. Some tasks may use more spoons than others, depending on your skills, capacity and needs.

When someone runs out of spoons, they run out of energy for the day. If there is not the time or the means to recharge but still the expectation to continue on, some people may try to ‘borrow’ spoons from the next day to continue to be ‘productive’. This can lead to burn out eventually.

How can the Spoon Theory help with burnout:

I talk about the Spoon Theory as an idea for helping to build self-compassion. Instead of expecting yourself to achieve the impossible, try to check in with yourself and consider what is actually achievable.

Try to be mindful of how many spoons you have for the day and prioritise tasks accordingly.

Could you do a review? Have a think about which tasks use more of your spoons and which tasks take less spoons. Keep this in mind when you’re planning your week and try to be kind to yourself when setting expectations.

See the blog ‘How to manage your energy and avoid burnout: The Spoon Theory guide’, for more guidance on thinking about what might use your spoons and how to manage energy usage to avoid burnout.