“Spoons” have become a shorthand for daily energy — but for many people, the meaning gets lost or misunderstood. In this bonus episode, Shannon offers a grounding explanation of spoon theory, why it matters for neurodivergent nervous systems, and how to plan your day based on capacity instead of pressure. You’ll learn how to sense your real bandwidth, avoid overcommitting, and move through low-energy days with more permission and less shame.

In This Episode

• What spoons really represent in terms of mental, emotional, sensory, physical, and executive energy
• Why neurodivergent brains often start the day with fewer spoons — and lose them faster
• The common misunderstanding of spoon theory (and why it’s not about motivation)
• How to tune into your body for accurate energy signals
• Simple ways to plan your day based on actual capacity
• What to do when your spoons run out halfway through the day
• How spoon theory becomes a tool for permission, not limitation

• Spoons = capacity, not effort. You don’t control how many you wake up with.
• ND nervous systems drain energy more quickly due to sensory load, transitions, masking, emotional labor, and disrupted sleep.
• You can want to do something and still not have the spoons for it — that’s not laziness.
• Your body gives clearer information about capacity than your mind does.
• A 4-spoon day requires a 4-spoon plan: one anchor task, one supportive task, one nourishing moment.
• Losing spoons midday isn’t failure — it’s a shift in energy. Adjust, simplify, and ground.
• Spoon theory exists to create compassion, pacing, and choice.

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