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it's both annoying and also nice that the mental health community have taken over the spoon theory (created by a woman with lupus)
I suffer from both lupus and very bad depression and I gotta say, the spoons are not the same. so when im lupus-ing out and say "bro I ain't go not spoons" I mean I'll be in a wheelchair, and people with depression are like "same, I need a nap" (not that depression naps arent for real a thing- it's just different)
and like kinda.... get your own metaphor because it's making it hard to relate to people again, because that was my metaphor for the last 8 years and now everyone is depressed and out of spoons, which i get, but like, my spoons are different and now I need a new metaphor.
idk I have mixed emotions and nobody takes my spoons seriously anymore. the few people who HAVE experienced me with no spoons know how extreme it is, and I get that it IS the extreme, but like how else can I communicate that now that it's popular? people just think im sleepy now, when im actually at risk for strokes or internal seizures or months worth of time in a wheelchair when I am out of spoons:/
lol mental health needs a new metaphor because the spoons are not the same when it comes to physical vs mental health spoons.
I don't think im eloquent enough but hopefully the point comes across
I agree. any tool that helps people vocalize their pain or fatigue is necessary, but I know that AA is using the spoon theory for alcoholics, which is cool, but also feels like my metaphor has been hijacked. but I also have a more severe case of lupus, so im sure many people still thought I was being dramatic until they experienced me with "no spoons"
I definitely have mixed feelings about it. I love that people are able to express themselves, but it also makes me internally cringe knowing the original metaphor was for those with a physical issue. and I know that depression can also manifest physically. I just feel an internal part of me when my friend comes back from AA and says she doesn't have anymore spoons for the day and then goes to work.
it's like when people say their an extroverted introvert- they don't actually know what those words mean haha (introvert gets their energy from solitude- does not mean they cannot be social) same energy
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exactly! I don't want to diminish mental health or my friends when they say "my therapist told me about the spoon theory- we're like the same" because it's not the same :/ and then you have people who start to use it to get out of things or like how people are like "lol sorry I have to clean this table off at the McDonald's sit down area because I'm so OCD" like no you don't have OCD. you have basic hygiene/ you're not low on spoons. you had a busy day and it's midnight and you need to go to bed.
idk if that makes sense