Topic Talk | Spoon Theory The A to Z English Podcast

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In this episode of The A to Z English Podcast, Xochitl and Jack talk about spoon theory:
Spoon Theory: The Spoon Theory is a metaphor used to explain the limited amount of energy and resources that people with chronic illnesses or disabilities have to accomplish daily tasks and activities. It was coined by Christine Miserandino in 2003 in an essay she wrote to explain her experience with lupus to a friend.
Transcript:
00:00:01
Jack
Welcome to the A-Z English podcast. My name is Jack and I'm here with my co-host social and today social and I are going to talk about something called Spoon theory and I don't really know what this is, to be honest. I am kind of ignorant on this topic, but social is going to explain.
00:00:22
Jack
The meaning of spoon theory and then we are going to complain like a couple of old people about all of our physical ailments that we're dealing with, right? So, OK, awesome. Alright. What is spoon theory? Social.
00:00:34
Xochitl
Yes.
00:00:39
Xochitl
So spoon theory is a metaphor, and it describes the amount of physical or mental energy that you have available for daily activities. So if you live with chronic pain or chronic illness, whether it's mental or physical or both, you're kind of limited in a way that other people aren't. And so.
00:00:59
Xochitl
The idea is that you have a set amount of spoons. Let's say you have 10 spoons for your day, and then things that other people don't realize take up energy because they have.
00:01:09
Xochitl
A more fit body do take up energy for people with chronic pain. So let's say getting up and out of bed, taking a shower, making something to eat.
00:01:23
Xochitl
Even getting ready for bed, getting dressed, all those things can put strain on your body and eat up your spoon. So maybe by the time you even get ready to go to work, you're down 5 spoons and someone who doesn't have chronic illness might have just used a spoon or half a spoon of energy to do all those.
00:01:44
Jack
Yeah. And let's just, uh, quickly, uh, unpack a little bit of the vocabulary. Chronic means, like, always constant. So chronic pain means you're always in pain from the time you wake up to the time you go to bed. You have some kind of pain.
00:01:54
발표자
Yes.
00:02:04
Jack
Issue.
00:02:05
Jack
And and so social was describing like, like the spoons are not literally spoons. We're not talking about real spoons. We're saying, like, they're like metaphors. Like, you got 10 spoons and.
00:02:19
Xochitl
They're like units of energy, basically.
00:02:21
Jack
Units of energy. Right. Exactly. And so.
00:02:24
Xochitl
Like hit points on a video game when your character has like a little green.
00:02:28
Xochitl
R.
00:02:30
Jack
Yeah, right. Energy. Your power gets, you know, goes down and down and down, yeah.
00:02:30
Xochitl
And then yeah it.
00:02:35
Xochitl
If your character is a healthy character, let's say they did all their tests and their bar is still green. But if your character has chronic illness, then by the time they're done with their morning routine, they might be down to yellow. They might be.
00:02:47
Xochitl
Down to half points.
00:02:49
Jack
Right. And let's say your energy level for the day for a person with chronic pain is 10 spoon.
00:02:55
발표자
And.
00:02:56
Jack
Like social said, getting ready in the morning, making breakfast, taking a shower, getting dressed, that might be 5 spoons, which means you only have 5 left for the whole day, so you get the bus, get to work, open your computer. You know, there's three more spoons now. You've got 2 spoons.
00:02:56
Xochitl
Yes.
00:03:17
Jack
Left, you don't even have enough to get home, you know.
00:03:20
Xochitl
Right.
00:03:22
Jack
Until you hit the wall right and you're so exhausted.
00:03:22
Xochitl
And.
00:03:24
Xochitl
Right.