Low Spoon Days: 8 Things To Do When You're Low on Energy

Convalescing must be a four letter word.  

You woke up today with absolutely no energy in the bank.  Which means you’ve already canceled all the plans you had and you know you’re going to be stuck in bed.  The only problem?  Your mind doesn’t match your body.  This is something people with all forms of dysautonomia know all too well.

If you have POTS/EDS or another form of dysautonomia you are used to this scenario playing out more than you care to recall.  Let’s talk about some low energy ways to keep your mind occupied while your body works on healing.

1. Listen to an audiobook.  There are a lot of options and genres of audio books, and it doesn’t have to be expensive.  Many local libraries have an online check out process for renting audio books for free.  Nothing lets you escape reality more than a good book.
2. Listen to a podcast.  Hello, true crime junkies!  Podcasts are our jam.  If true crime isn’t your thing there are so many topics from history to comedy to storytelling that will keep you entertained for hours.  Most podcasts are free to listen to.
3. Youtube TEDTalks.  With almost 34 million subscribers to this channel, you know there’s a topic that would interest, inspire, and motivate you for days when you’re able to get out of bed.
4. Wordle.  It’s all the craze right now.  Wordle is a simple word game where you have five guesses to get to the five letter word of the day.  If word games aren’t your thing there are a lot of other free apps available to occupy your mind.
5. Snacks and drinks.  Where you’re able, try to keep snacks and drinks by your bed.  The best salty and sweet snacks can make the time spent resting better.  Let NormaLyte be a consistent companion to your bedside as it can help some of the symptoms of dysautonomia (including fatigue).
6. Connect with a friend online.  Reach out to someone you haven’t heard from in a while and strike up a conversation.  It’s hard to maintain relationships when you have a chronic illness and limited spoons.  Luckily, many people are more than willing to have a little chat and nurture your friendships that way.
7. Listen to music.  Close your eyes and give music a try.  Find something you wouldn’t normally listen to or maybe some of the old “classics” and give them a listen.  You may discover something new you love.
8. Journal.  It’s not for everybody, but journaling can be healing in itself.  It’s a great way to reflect on yourself and the situations around you.  Make lists you can check off later in your journals; places you want to go, movies you want to see, bucket lists, etc.  The best part of journaling is that there’s no rules.

We purposely didn’t suggest things like sleep and watching television because we know that you get tired of those things.  Today may be a bad day, but tomorrow could be better if your body gets the rest it needs today, but if tomorrow requires more rest then that’s okay too.  Give yourself some grace while your body works to cooperate with your mind.

Drop some of your favorite things to do on low spoon days in the comments below.