For many people, day-to-day life is a series of relatively easy errands, appointments, and to-do’s. For others, however, keeping up with daily routines can be a monumental effort. And on hard days, even the bare minimum can seem like an impossible feat. It’s not uncommon for struggling individuals to be left wondering how those around them manage to thrive so easily—let alone get out of bed.

Many of us may know this feeling all too well; others may not. This fact alone can be frustrating for those familiar with the experience. However, we now know that this phenomenon can be understood with what is referred to as “spoon theory.”

The term was conceptualized by Christine Miserandino in her essay titled "The Spoon Theory," which follows her response to the question of what it’s like to live with chronic illness. She explained the difficulty in finding the words to describe such a constant yet inexplicable experience but also acknowledged the importance of doing so.

This prompted the creation of the theory: “I quickly grabbed every spoon on the table; hell, I grabbed spoons off of the other tables. I looked at her in the eyes and said ‘Here you go, you have Lupus.’” And with actual spoons, she created a thought experiment that served to describe the indescribable.

Imagine that every day, you wake up with a set amount of spoons in your possession. Each spoon represents a unit of energy you have to use throughout the day. Just........

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