M.E. affected bodies don’t create or use energy as a normal healthy body does.
Think of our energy levels as a phone battery, we have to manage how we use our energy to make sure our body’s battery doesn’t go flat.
Energy management is a huge part of an M.E. patient’s life. We need to try to keep our battery level as stable as possible as using energy too quickly will cause us to crash. Once we are out of energy, that’s it, no more activity is possible. Our M.E. affected bodies can switch to running on adrenaline when we have completely flatlined but that is not good, crashes are significantly worsened so it is best to avoid doing that!
You should understand that un-refreshing sleep is an M.E. symptom. So, when we run out of energy it is never possible to fully recharge by having a good sleep.
Christine Miserandino wrote a blog called ‘The Spoon Theory’. She is a Lupus patient but her spoons metaphor has been adopted worldwide and many patients with chronic illnesses describe themselves as ‘Spoonies’.
Foggy Bones Game
‘Foggy’s Bones’ is based loosely on ‘The Spoons Theory’. Each bone represents a certain amount of energy. Foggy has allocated a certain amount of bones to each activity. We have chosen activities that most people do on a daily basis.
It is a simple, interactive game to get you thinking about how we have to manage our energy on a daily basis.
Top tip – Read the rules carefully and click each level of bones before you begin so you can see what activities are available. Oh and don’t forget to eat!
Have fun!
© Sally Callow / ME Foggy Dog. All Rights Reserved. This is NOT to be reproduced without written permission.