Saving Spoons

Pacing and lifestyle changes can increase the amount of energy you can use in a day, and reduce relapses.

## Pacing

See the section **Pacing** under **Treatments** to learn more.

## Tips to save spoons

### Household

* Use a cart to move stuff between rooms, so you don't have to carry. Very useful for setting the table.
* Every time you are in the kitchen, put 1-5 things inside the dishwasher, so you don't have to do it all at once.Or buy two dishwashers, so you never have to load or unload into cabinets.
* Sit down during activities as much as possible (ironing, dishes, showering, cooking)
* Have a lil backpack ready with things you need in every room, so you don't have to move rooms unnecessarily.: tweezers, medication, lip balm.

### Laundry

* Buy 30 pairs of the exact same socks and use only those, so you don't have to waste time sorting them
* Throw clean socks and underwear in separate baskets so you don't have to waste time folding them
* When possible, tumble dry clothes so you don't have to hang them up

### Cooking/eating/food

* Put water bottles of 0.5 or 1 Liters on your desk or night stand, so you have to make less trips to the tap and hydrate yourself better.
* Cook three times the amount you would otherwise, so you can put two meals in the freezer to use another day.
* Make a list of go-to-easy meals (and add them to our Recipes) so you don't have to think about planning your meals that much.
* A slow-cooker or a rice-cooker can be left unattended, great for resting in between cooking
* Microwaving potatoes goes a lot faster than boiling them! Simply cut them in half, stab once with a fork, put into a microwave bowl, add just a little bit of water, add lid, run for 5-8 minutes depending on the size.
* Spread cooking activites throughout the day, instead of run&crash. Cut vegetables in the morning and put them in the fridge, etc. This way you also don't have to multi-task as much when cooking, and you will have more energy left for eating the meal.
* When making an oven meal, make sure you can rest during oven time (instead of cleaning the kitchen) so you have more energy left for eating and digesting.
* Use a kitchen chair.
* For peeling potatoes: see if you can do that in bed!
* If possible, buy pre-cut and pre-peeled vegetables.
* Frozen vegetables are great to keep on hand
* Use a food processor to chop food
* When possible, try to cut up the whole vegetable instead of just what you need for one meal (ie. Onion, lettuce) and refrigerate unused portions
* Make meals in a jar. Make loads of these sometimes and then eat them slowly throughout the week.
* When clumsy: use tumblers with lids and straws, sippy cups.
* Use a camping bowl in bed that you can easily hold with one hand, to make eating in bed easier.
* Use an egg timer to avoid having to check upon multiple pans to see if things are ready yet.

### Beauty

* Use a light up portable mirror so you can do your eyebrows and make-up in bed
* Shower in stages. If you can't wash and style your hair, shave your legs and wash your body at the same time anymore, this could help. Do your hair one day, rest, have a bath and shave your legs another day, rest, have a quick flannel wash before you go out anywhere.
* Get a hand held shower fitted so you can flip your head over the bath and wash it rather than get completely undressed and sit in the shower on a stool.
* Back up hair styles for when you can't wash hair: braids, top knot, or if all else fails, a hat.
* Wear comfortable clothes and flat shoes to save spoons
* Bath less frequently, you don't have to shower every day
* Buy a second Epilady so you can remove hair from two legs at the same time! This will go twice as fast. Make sure to wear ear plugs to reduce noise.

### Mornings

* When you are slow in the mornings, but more energized at night: prepare everything already at night so you don't have to do all that in the morning. Choose your outfit and put it on a chair, pack your bag, prepare lunch and put it in the fridge, shower so you can skip that in the morning.

### Driving

* Avoid busy traffic hours when possible
* Take twice the time you need, so you don't feel rushed. Also now you can rest after driving before your appointment starts!
* Put a pillow and a blanket in the back of the car in case you need to rest before, during or after driving
* Always have water and sunglasses in your car
* Turn off the radio to avoid multitasking
* Get extra blindspot mirrors if you get dizzy from turning your head
* When you are the passenger: try putting your feet up and use pillows to lie down comfortably. Experiment with lying down in the back, or in a reclined passenger's seat to see which suits you best.

### Entertainment

* Have a pack ready with low activity entertainment, such as word searches, colouring books and cryptograms, paper to doodle on or write.