When trying to help people understand some of the things I cope with as an MSer, I have been using the "Energy Pennies" analogy to describe the fatigue... most people wake up from a good night's sleep & have 100 energy pennies, I'm lucky if I have 70. Doing the dishes, wiping down the kitchen takes 3 energy pennies for others, 15 for me. Others can use up their energy pennies, take a 1/2 hour cat-nap, and they're back up to 100 pennies. If my energy pennies run out, then I'm done; there is no savings/second wind & who knows if it will be an afternoon, a day, a week, or how long until I get some more energy pennies.
This analogy has been effective in helping a lot of people understand & some of my support people even use it to remind me "don't waste those energy pennies", however I have now run into a problem... over recent years I have been giving financial support as well as overextending my energy pennies on some folks who aren't really reciprocal in support. I do not begrudge any money I spent helping them out, but when I try and explain the "energy penny" barrier of why I can't physically do something, they get into the whole discussion of money. I am not asking them to write me a check, I'm asking them to understand and stop giving me guilt trip comments when I'm not physically able to do something they want. Not "bad' people, just oblivious to the reality of Invisible Disabilities.
Does anyone have another good analogy to explain how much the fatigue costs us that doesn't compare to money?
This analogy has been effective in helping a lot of people understand & some of my support people even use it to remind me "don't waste those energy pennies", however I have now run into a problem... over recent years I have been giving financial support as well as overextending my energy pennies on some folks who aren't really reciprocal in support. I do not begrudge any money I spent helping them out, but when I try and explain the "energy penny" barrier of why I can't physically do something, they get into the whole discussion of money. I am not asking them to write me a check, I'm asking them to understand and stop giving me guilt trip comments when I'm not physically able to do something they want. Not "bad' people, just oblivious to the reality of Invisible Disabilities.
Does anyone have another good analogy to explain how much the fatigue costs us that doesn't compare to money?
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