Introduction: Preface is my favorite word

I’ve always wanted to use my voice for something, but I don’t like my voice enough to podcast. My name is Natalie, and I have a very multifaceted history and view on life. When looking at ideas for blogs or even Instagram accounts, they say to find your “niche.” Well, my niche has never felt like the norm. In hindsight, it was more prevalent than I could have realized.

To further paint this picture for you, I’ll start by saying I was diagnosed with Mixed Connective Tissue Disease (e.g., a rare autoimmune disorder consisting of Scleroderma, Lupus, and Polymyositosis) in September 2022. Since my diagnosis, I realized just how many people were experiencing symptoms not too far off as I was. I don’t know if it was my friends saying they knew someone with an autoimmune disease or my TikTok for-you-page streamlining what was on my mind (autoimmune), but wow, I do not feel alone in this journey.

But this is not the beginning of where my history begins when it comes to any type of physical or mental problem. As someone who has dealt with repetitive childhood sickness, depression, anxiety, brain injury, body dysmorphia, and been a victim of sexual assault, I have learned how to keep my head above water and to keep swimming. The sad thing is that many others share similar experiences. The best we can do as a collective is to connect and empower each other to make decisions that resonate with us.

I sat on many domain names, “little miss lupus” being one that I kept going back to. But I thought I would use an idea based on the “Spoon Theory.” As defined by the Washington Post, “In the theory, each spoon represents a finite unit of energy. Healthy people may have an unlimited supply of spoons, but people with chronic illnesses have to ration them just to get through the day. Spoon theory has become a shorthand for chronically ill people to explain how they're feeling and coping day-to-day.”

I chose the name “Save A Spoon.” My hope for this blog is for my readers to leave with a piece of insight that invigorates them rather than drains more energy. I have read enough self-help books to have a degree in it. I want to combine my experience with some of the best ideas I have studied and integrated into my life to help others find something that works for them. At the end of the day, maybe only one person reads this, but as long as it may have an impact on someone, that is all I care about.

I hope you enjoy reading these as much as I enjoy writing these.

Latifi, F. (2023, January 14). Spoon theory: What it is and how I use it to manage chronic illness. The Washington Post. https://www.washingtonpost.com/wellness/2023/01/14/spoon-theory-chronic-illness-spoonie/