If you suffer from Chronic Pain/Illness of any kind, I’m sure you’ve heard of the Spoon Theory. But in case you haven’t, please feel free to read up on it here.
The basic idea is that we all have a certain amount of energy we can allocate for various activities and tasks throughout the day and for those who suffer from chronic pain or illness, they might take more energy than the typical person doing seemingly easy things (i.e. getting out of bed, going to class, etc). So basically, they have to really think about how they want to allocate their spoons and often may not have the spoons to do what they might really want.
As someone who suffers from chronic pain (chronic back pain, migraines, mental health issues), I might appear to have a limitless resource of energy. In fact, people have asked me, “How do you manage those debilitating migraines and still Get Sh*t Done?” This is a great question and I do not mean to brag as I am sure there are many other people with chronic illnesses who also get so much done despite their challenges.
My main point here is to show you that it is possible for some of us. And it may be possible for you. I wasn’t always able to get so much done, but I found ways to conserve the right amount of energy and to make tasks more enjoyable so that they don’t take so much from me. Here’s how I happen to manage chronic pain and ‘Everything Else’…
1. I wrote on this in another post, but I make the most of mornings. Even if you’re not a morning person, whenever you get up, do some immediate self-care in preparation for the day. Is it coffee? A hot shower? Drinking water? Playing video games? What can give YOU pleasure in the morning? Whatever it is, do it! It will help you associate getting out of bed with something enjoyable. For me, it consists of my Buddhist practice, putting some grapefruit essential oil in my diffuser, doing a little bit of yoga… Okay, so my morning routine is a bit long and complex, but yours does not have to be! Start of small and simple if you have to.
2. Create multiple to-do lists or calendars. Why? For me, when a migraine hits, I need to be able to look at my day and say “What can I skip if I need to stay inside in the dark?” Then I look at all I have to do and I start rearranging things so I can get something done before the worst hits, OR I schedule time in the middle of the day to rest in hopes of recovery for whatever I have in the evening. One calendar isn’t enough because sometimes I’ll scratch something off the one calendar but when I go back to the other one and I see it is still there, I know that should I magically have the energy, I can still Do That Thing. It is not perpetually off my calendar or to-do list. This really helps me because it creates the mindset that there is always a possibility of recovery or at least have the energy to do Important Stuff.
3. And sometimes, to be honest, I just Suck It Up. This route isn’t for everyone. However, I find that if I can keep myself busy through some of the pain, I can at the minimum reward myself for Being Awesome and Getting Sh*t Done despite my illness. Trust me, it feels freaking FANTASTIC when you’re like, “I just went to the gym with a migraine!!!” and everyone else is like, “How did you do that? You’re a beast!” Obviously, don’t sacrifice your health. If this isn’t an option, don’t sweat it. If you can’t go all out, still reward yourself for any tasks you completed no matter how small they feel – yes, you can feel like you own the world just for getting out of bed!
4. Remember that your pain is real. If you need to, have a friend you can text that can validate the struggles you are going through. I know this has saved me from some real mental anguish multiple times. I love having a support network that gets what this is all about. If you need one, Warrior’s Pose is a great community for such a thing. ❤
–H. Schmid, Founder of Warrior’s Pose
Warrior's Pose 