The Spoon Theory
Today I was reminded of a story I heard of a few years ago about a girl who lives with lupus and who tries to explain to a friend what life with a chronic illness, especially fatigue, is like. It is told in a very powerful and imaginative way that will hopefully shed a better light on how fatigue affects people living with MS, lupus and other illnesses that take a toll on daily life. In my view, it is the best piece of writing about fatigue I have ever read. As you know, one of my main disabilities is severe fatigue which is sometimes so energy-sapping that walking from my bed to the fridge asks for a rest in between. From the moment this level of tiredness became troublesome,…
Sleep: a time-consuming commodity
Shoulders back, head held high. Striving to soldier on, wanting to do more. Body says ‘no’, mind perhaps too. This morning I ran into my leading enemy. Not the one I declared war to over some silly misunderstanding when I was 8, nor the one who swore she would never talk to me again when I was 15, but one much closer to my heart. Me. Sometimes people say you have to confront in order to conquer. But what if this is a person, namely, yourself? I’ve had many confrontations with myself, but I’ve never been a good listener. If/when given the choice, I’d rather kick up some more dirt than having to listen to the rules. Especially when it comes to having to rest. And sleep.