Give me the spoons

19 year old spoonie surviving with Ehler-danlos Syndrome, POTS, fibromyalgia, and more. Major mental health advocate. Always here if anyone needs to talk.

[impotsiblelife]

Accepting your limitations when you have a chronic illness or disability doesn’t mean you’re lazy or pessimistic. It’s more than ok to acknowledge and respect the fact that there are things you just can’t do. Don’t listen to anyone who tries to put you down or make you feel guilty for saying “no” when you aren’t able to do something. 

[proletarianprincess]

lmao on the edinburgh zoo site it says “there is a daily penguin parade at 14:15 but it may be cancelled last minute as it is a voulntary parade, we do not coax the penguins with food, and they may not want to go out” lmao anarchopenguinism

[cannibality-deactivated20250227]

this is the cutest goddamn thing i’ve ever heard

[livenudegirl]

I saw the penguin parade. It was a very slow parade, because the pingüinos take their sweet time and aren’t very fast walkers to begin with.

[airyairyquitecontrary-deactivat]

can I volunteer to be a penguin

[commander-damneron]

I feel like the world needs to know the context of the edinburgh zoo penguin parade, becausr I’ve been going there my entire life and I only found out about this the other year.

So a while back (I can’t remember exactly when but I think it was some time around the 40s/50s), a bunch of penguins escaped. A keeper left the gate open so a bunch of penguins just… followed them. And the people loved it. Look at these adorable birds outside their cage just following that guy around! So they get all the penguins back inside and realise that none of them really ran off, they just followed the keeper and went back inside and crowd thought it was amazing, so why not make it a regular thing? Get enough people there that if one of them goes to make a run for it (which at least one has in the past), they can’t get past the people, and let the ones who want outside have a little wander. So every day, they get a crowd, they open the gate, and whatever penguins want to get out can go, waddle about, squawk at people, and then hop back inside.

Also, one of those penguins is Brigadier Sir Nils Olaf III, Colonel-in-cheif of the Norwegian King’s Guard. This isn’t really related to the parade at all, I just love the fact that there’s a penguin in the Norwegian army

[runrunningrunner]

Reblogging with Brigadier Sir Nils Olaf III inspecting his troops.

Carry on …

[breatherunlive]

I love everything about this post.

[systlin]

If I fail to reblog this it is because I am dead. 

[showerthoughtsofficial]

Becoming an adult is when you no longer stay up late because you’re having fun. You stay up late because if you go to sleep, then the stress of tomorrow is here that much faster.

[thursday]

“When Rainn’s on the exercise ball bouncing up and down, and I come over and I stab it with the scissors. In every other take we did, I stabbed it and it just slowly goes down. And the camera angle was that he just slowly ducked behind the thing and it was incredible. On the last take they were like “do one more.” And I remember going over and I went “boom”! And I must have hit the seam or something. And it exploded. He hit the ground as hard as I’ve ever seen a human hit the ground. If you go back and watch that episode, I just dive out because I am crying laughing.” - John Krasinski 

[glitterandgrunge]

Millennials and Gen Z: Trump shows signs of being a genocidal dictator, we shouldn’t vote for him

Baby boomers: OOOOO Is your Safe Space being violated by his comments snowflake??? How AWFUL IT must be to have a REAL man for president instead of OoOoBamA

Trump, after being voted into office: *leaves the UN human rights council, puts hundreds of young children into prison camps and tent cities, takes away valuable items like rosaries similar to the removal of rings during the Holocaust, puts babies and toddlers into foster homes/orphanages, literally treats ACTUAL CHILDREN like prisoners for wanting a better life elsewhere*

Baby boomers: oh….oh no….

Millennials and Gen Z: *stare into the camera like they’re on the office*

[bluepsi]

bold of you to assume the boomers have reached the “oh no” point

[justbant3r]

when the custodian just mopped and u trying to be respectful 

[greyscalesound]

Honestly if you don’t do this extra pointless ass tiptoe when this happens you’re trash who raised you

[sarahbeara113]

When you keep getting diagnosed with new chronic illnesses

[a-b-a-e-t-e-r-n-o-deactivated20]

[isolate]

you shouldn’t ever have to explain your mental health issues to anyone. you’re not being difficult, you’re not an inconvenience, and you don’t owe anyone an apology. you’re human, and you’re struggling, and thats okay.

[effyeffa]

when you go back to daydreaming after having been interrupted and your brain does a previously on of your fantasy

[allovera]

When you go back to daydreaming after being startled into the real world and your brain has to search through the ‘recently closed’ tabs to remember what you were daydreaming about

[effyeffa]

ok mood

[kellbelltheweird]

Okay but me being startled into the real world was intense yesterday. I was in deep with ny story line listening to music pretty loud with headphones. I happen to glance up and see someone in my doorway and in about 10 seconds i: scream, throw my headphones onto the ground really hard, and throw myself onto my bed.

[gia-francesca]

Okay but like how are you suppose to know that you should go to the ER when you’re chronically ill? Am I dying? Is this just a new symptom?? Who the fUck knows

[cutespoonie]

the two bad fatigue moods:

gets super emotional, cries over the smallest things, empathetic™, can’t handle anything, irritable, overstimulated™, anxious

can’t feel anything, barely able to think, apathic™, can’t relate to anything, emptiness™, can’t cry, slow™, dissociating

[kellbelltheweird]

Im usually the latter

[hypermobilebecca]

how come when I say something along the lines of “hey if you’re not lgbt+ you don’t know what it’s like to be lgbt+” people back off, but as soon as I say “hey if you’re not disabled you don’t know what it’s like to be disabled” 500 sisters and aunt’s friend’s mom’s daughters gymnastic coaches pop in and demand otherwise

[noping-out-deactivated20241117]

Just for once I’d like to tell the gate agents and flight attendants that my folding wheelchair is going into the onboard closet and not have them tell me there’s “no room”. Bitch that’s a wheelchair closet, not a “your bags” closet. Move your damn bags where they belong.

[noping-out-deactivated20241117]

Ok, so according to my friendly aviation expert, this is a Big Fucking Deal. In fact, if an airline argues with you about putting your wheelchair in the wheelchair closet or even suggests there may not be room, unless there is already another passenger’s wheelchair in that closet, they have violated federal law.

CFR Title 14, Chapter II, Subchapter D, Part 382, Subpart E, Section 382.67, Subsection (e)

“As a carrier, you must never request or suggest that a passenger not stow his or her wheelchair in the cabin to accommodate other passengers (e.g., informing a passenger that stowing his or her wheelchair in the cabin will require other passengers to be removed from the flight), or for any other non-safety related reason (e.g., that it is easier for the carrier if the wheelchair is stowed in the cargo compartment).”

Source

This is hugely important because it means that if this happens to you, you should report their asses to the DOT. Why? Because these statistics are published every year for every airline, and the airline gets a huge ass fine for every violation. If we want to see change, we need to make airlines literally pay every time they treat us this way.

[bendyandbroken-archived-deactiv]

Hi friends, it’s Ali! I moved accounts yet again, so have reposted my spoonie masterpost. Hopefully this one will spread like wildfire like the original (: Love and spoons <3 xx

WHAT IS A SPOONIE?

A spoonie is a person, living with one or more physical or mental chronic illness or disability, that identifies with Christine Miserandino’s Spoon Theory.

Visual Explanation (Abridged)

FAQ

Another Visual

SPOONIE FOUNDATION WEBSITES

Ehlers-Danlos National Foundation

Fibromyalgia & CFS/ME Resources

SPOONIE ILLNESS INFO

10 Things to Understand About Illnesses

Chronic Pain Infographic

Crohn’s Disease Infographic

Functional Ability Scale

Get to Know Endometriosis Infographic

Living w/ a Chronic Illness - From the Outside Looking In

Lupus Facts & Statistics

Mobility Devices - When Is It Time to Upgrade?

Mobility Devices - You Don’t Need Permission!

Myalgic Encephalomyelitis Facts & Symptoms

Spoonie Awareness Ribbon Colours

Think You Might Have Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome?

What It’s Really Like to Be Chronically Ill

What Is Systemic Lupus Erythematosus (SLE)?

SPOONIE TIPS, HELP, & ADVICE

A Brief Guide to Recovering From Surgery (or a flare, treatment, procedure, etc)

Chronic Illness and Busy Schedules

Coping Skills for Disabled and Chronically Ill Persons

Costochondritis and Slipping Rib Syndrome Tips

Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome Advice

Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome Tips

Getting a Diagnosis / Doctor’s Appointments 101

Ice vs. Heat — What to Use When

Holiday Spoonie Reminders

Mankoski Pain Scale

Nutrition and Crohn’s Disease

POTS and Mitral Valve Prolapse Tips

Resources for Vascular EDS

Self-Care Ideas, Tips, and Resources

Self Care When You Don’t Have the Spoons for Showering

Spoonie Tips (by i-am-lost-in-the-tide)

Spoonie Tips (by thefaultinourpoons)

Tips for Traveling with a Chronic Illness

TMJ Dysfunction Tips

Yellow Dot Program

SYMPTOMS LISTS OF CHRONIC ILLNESSES

Fibromyalgia Monster List of Possible Symptoms

Lyme Disease Symptoms List

Mega List of Ehlers-Danlos Symptoms

The ME/CFS Symptoms List

SPOONIE REMEDIES & TREATMENTS

Do It Yourself Heating Pads Quick & Easy!

Non-Drug Treatments for Pain

Non-Pharma Pain Management

OTC Pain Medicine Chart

Periodic Table of Vitamins

Stretches That Help Your Digestion

Treating Lupus

Wheelchair Masterpost

SPOONIE SCHOOL-RELATED

504 Plan (Pre-University Accommodations)

Chronic Illness in University

Chronic Illness in University: Studying/Revising

University Financial Aid / Scholarships for Disabilities

SPOONIE MISCONCEPTIONS

“I have a chronic illness, therefore I am disabled.” not always true!

“I’m all alone.” false! see below.

INTERACTING WITH SPOONIES

13 Reasons Why “But You Don’t Look Sick” Is Not a Compliment

Please Do Not Dismiss Me

Please Do Not Question My Activities

Open Letters to Those Without Ehlers Danlos

Stop Telling Me What I Need to Eat to Cure My Incurable Illness

Things Not to Say to a Spoonie Infographic

Things to Say to a Spoonie

Things Able-Bodied People Need to Stop Saying

SPOONIE STRUGGLES

5(+) Biggest Struggles of a Spoonie

SPOONIE CLICHÉS

Clichés Often Heard in the Spoonie World

Spoonie Problems

SPOONIE MEMES

Chronic Illness Cat

Chronic Illness Memes

Ehlers-Danlos Memes

You Might Have EDS If…

SPOONIE VIDEOS

I Am The 96%

Spoonie How To Videos

Education, Part 1

Education, Part 2

Education, Part 3

Spoon Theory v. Shot In The Knee v. Gorilla In Your House

SPOONIE PETITIONS

none for the moment…

THINGS TO DO ON A LOW SPOON DAY

Low-Spoon Recipes

Puppies! For Happiness!

SPOONIE DISABILITY

Disabled Beauties

How to Help Disabled People w/o Spending a Penny

Making Ends Meet When You’re Disabled

Voting While Disabled - Know Your Rights Infographic

What Disabled Persons Mean / What Able Bodied Persons Think

SERVICE DOG RELATED

ADA Service Dog Laws

How to Get a Service Dog in 4 Steps

Key Things to Know About Service Dogs

Service Dog Companies

Service Dog Education

Service Dog Fraud - Quest for the Vest

AVOID ABLEISM

Ableist Language and How to Avoid It

Avoid Everyday Ableism

Avoiding Ableist & Sexist Language Won’t Make Us Less Fun

Do Not Call Someone Out For Using an Assistive Device

Do Not Shame Disabled People

Don’t Use Ableist Language

Friendly Reminder - Disabled People are People

List of Disability Terms w/ Negative Connotations

PSA - Do Not Dehumanize Disabled People

Reasons to Give Up Ableist Language

Young Does Not Equal Able-Bodied

SPOONIE ITEMS

Amazing Weighted Blankets for an amazing price!

AmoeBAND

Awesome Shower Chair

Back Rx by Nada Chair (helps w/ sitting up straight & back pain)

Electrolyte Replenisher Gluten-Free & Vegan

Good Rx App

Medical Alert IDs

Mobility Aids & Decorations

Spoonie Magazine - The Pillow Fort

The Spoon Meter

How to Use

Code for ½ Spoons by hyperelasticzebra

INTERACT WITH FELLOW SPOONIES

Lupus Support

Spoonie Chatroom

Spoonie Chatroom (by i-am-lost-in-the-tide)

Spoonie Map

MISCELLANEOUS

Extra Burdens Faced by Young People w/ Chronic Illness

Walking a Little is Not “Able to Walk”

AWESOME SAUCE SPOONIES ♥

Spoonies of Tumblr Masterpost

CREDITS & OTHER INFORMATION

Last updated 25th May 2015 @ 17:10 EST Updated when possible (updated version here ♥) Please reblog / like only — do not edit. Thank you. Message hyperelasticzebra to add a blog, article, or post to the list. I try my best to find as many spoonie blogs and posts to add to this as possible, but if I have missed you, your blog, or a helpful post, please let me know! I don’t always have the spoons or time to search for articles pertaining to specific illnesses.

Help Out the Creator with Medical Bills? Click to Donate

[illness-adnauseum]

Reblog if your illness does define you

Reblog if your illness has shaped your outlook on life and the world.

Reblog if your illness has warped your perceptions of people and social situations.

Reblog if your illness has altered some of the most fundamental aspects of your personality.

Reblog if your illness has impacted all of your relationships, and even been the reason for the beginning or end of some.

Reblog if your illness is often the cause of your moods and emotions, and affects nearly all of your moods and emotions in regard to other things.

Reblog if your illness has changed the strength of your virtues, from compassion and tolerance, to perseverance and determination, to gratitude and generosity.

Reblog if your illness has been a part of your life for so long that you honestly can’t differentiate the parts of your identity that are influenced by your illness from the parts that aren’t influenced by your illness.

Most importantly, please reblog this if you’re okay with your illness being on the incredibly long list of things that define you. Reblog if you don’t feel like your identity has to be completely undefined by your illness in order be valid. Reblog if you don’t necessarily like the parts of yourself that come from your illness, but don’t think that makes them any less you.

[r--evol-ution]

Am I Using My Disabilities As A Reason Or As An Excuse? A biography by me, featuring interviews with my internalised ableism.