In the past few years I’ve found a few differences between me and my non-arthritic friends (those poor suckers). Most of the time I am able to overcome those differences. I might not be the most in-shape person, but I do exercise. I might not be able to run and play like the other kids, but I still have fun with the hobbies that I’m able to do to keep active. I might have some down days, but who doesn’t? It’s all in how you look at it.

But some things make me very different and I just gotta learn to live with them. Most notably and unfortunately, my energy levels.

I know you can relate.

How many times have you been invited to go out to do something and even though it sounds fun and you want to be with your friends, just the thought of getting yourself ready to go makes you tired. And it’s a difficult one to explain.

Most of the time I just say I’m lazy.

But really, that’s not 100% true. My laziness has little to do with a lack of interest, it’s a lack of energy. And it’s a bummer, but every now and then my energy is zapped and you’re gonna have a hard time getting me up and running.

A lot of things take a lot of energy out of you. Things that most people take for granted. Here’s an example:

The other day I was having lunch with a friend who also had Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA), and we were talking about this lack of energy and how frustrating it is. (Let me tell ya, it’s a wonderful thing having someone who can relate!) She was telling me about how achey and exhausted she was after one night where she hosted just about her entire extended family for the holidays.

Now that’s a lot of people and a lot of hosting and mouths to feed. But even in a smaller version of the same event, it’s still tiring. It got me thinking about how much energy it really takes to do something that might not seem all that consuming.

Like being around a ton of people.

I’m not joking.

Hear me out. You could be in a room lounging with 15 of your good friends, simply gabbing away and laughing about the latest gossip, but keeping up with so many people is going to take some energy. And when you’re working on a lack of energy as it is, that can be difficult at the end of the day.

I started thinking about my days in school, going out with friends, crowded bars and house-parties, and then spending the rest of the weekend recuperating. No, it wasn’t drinking myself under the table that caused the need to rest, it was the fact that it literally takes all the energy I have to handle a large crowd of people.

I had 30-odd people at my wedding reception – perfect and relaxing. Downton Waikiki on New Years Eve? Nut-house and I gotta go home and rest.

Now I’ve found that with exercise I’m able to bump up the amount of energy I have in the day, which is great. And sometimes I’ll push myself to go out and about even when I think I can’t possibly do so. Sometimes I’ll come back and want to curl into a ball, but a lot of the time I’m grateful that I went.

But these little things help me understand how my body works and how to find that balance. Sometimes I get down on myself about my lack of energy, but when you put things into perspective it makes it easier to live with. Perhaps that “spoon theory” is on to something.

(Also, check out Achieve’s new Rheumatoid Arthritis Clinical Trial in Birmingham)