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The Spoonie Survival Guide: Manage your energy and your life with chronic illness
The must-have guide for navigating daily life with a chronic illness. Learn how to feel more confident as you move through the world.
Living with a chronic illness can be exhausting. From making difficult decisions about how to manage your energy (or spoons) each day, to the isolation that comes from finding 'easy' tasks (such as taking a shower) nearly impossible, daily life can be tough. Many of us spoonies would like to manage life better, but don't have the energy – or experience – to know where to start. No one is ever taught how to live with an illness, after all. Spoonie Jodie K Ranu gets it, and she's here to help.
The Spoonie Survival Guide is your one-stop resource with everything you need to help you achieve the best quality of life possible, whatever your energy levels. Organized into four clear sections – physical health, mental health, financial health, and lifestyle – Jodie breaks down how each area of our life can change with chronic illness, and what we can do about it.
Drawing on over ten years of lived experience, Jodie provides practical advice on how to move forward despite things being different. She helps you
- Pacing yourself throughout the day
- Coping with medical gaslighting
- Dealing with everyday living, such as cooking and running errands.
Written by a spoonie for spoonies, The Spoonie Survival Guide is your kind and reassuring toolkit for life.
Living with a chronic illness can be exhausting. From making difficult decisions about how to manage your energy (or spoons) each day, to the isolation that comes from finding 'easy' tasks (such as taking a shower) nearly impossible, daily life can be tough. Many of us spoonies would like to manage life better, but don't have the energy – or experience – to know where to start. No one is ever taught how to live with an illness, after all. Spoonie Jodie K Ranu gets it, and she's here to help.
The Spoonie Survival Guide is your one-stop resource with everything you need to help you achieve the best quality of life possible, whatever your energy levels. Organized into four clear sections – physical health, mental health, financial health, and lifestyle – Jodie breaks down how each area of our life can change with chronic illness, and what we can do about it.
Drawing on over ten years of lived experience, Jodie provides practical advice on how to move forward despite things being different. She helps you
- Pacing yourself throughout the day
- Coping with medical gaslighting
- Dealing with everyday living, such as cooking and running errands.
Written by a spoonie for spoonies, The Spoonie Survival Guide is your kind and reassuring toolkit for life.
272 pages, Paperback
Published April 28, 2026
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
May 17, 2026
I think every Spoonie needs a book like this in their arsenal. Not just for the many golden nuggets of information spread throughout the book, but for the validation and to know you’re not alone in how you’re feeling. It can be hard to fit into an able-bodied world or keep spinning the plates of your social life, family life and health, but you can learn to make your new normal (as this book expertly explains).
I loved how this was written (& narrated too. I listened to the audiobook and it was great. It made for a really easy listen which if you’re not up for reading physically, was a great way to consume the book).
I have Lupus so my day to day can look different depending on current symptoms and energy levels. For people that don’t understand how simply making a meal or going for a shower can be all you can do in the day, it was validating to read others experiences from the community comments and the authors own experiences.
Sending spoons to all the spoonies and a grateful salute to all those reading for a spoonie that they know - it’s a great book for those suffering illnesses/ conditions or disabilities, as well as those who want to understand more and help those in their lives that are going through something similar. Definitely recommend !
I loved how this was written (& narrated too. I listened to the audiobook and it was great. It made for a really easy listen which if you’re not up for reading physically, was a great way to consume the book).
I have Lupus so my day to day can look different depending on current symptoms and energy levels. For people that don’t understand how simply making a meal or going for a shower can be all you can do in the day, it was validating to read others experiences from the community comments and the authors own experiences.
Sending spoons to all the spoonies and a grateful salute to all those reading for a spoonie that they know - it’s a great book for those suffering illnesses/ conditions or disabilities, as well as those who want to understand more and help those in their lives that are going through something similar. Definitely recommend !
May 22, 2026
This will be an excellent resource for someone new to living with an energy-limiting chronic illness as it gives a good basic coverage of everything you need to know.
If you’ve been around the block a few times then it probably won’t teach you anything you don’t already know, although reminders are always valuable.
I particularly appreciated the sections on medical gaslighting, imposter syndrome and mobility aids.
One downside for me was the reference to CFS throughout the book. Ironic after including a section on gaslighting to then only use the term that was created by psychologists to deliberately gaslight a whole community of seriously ill people.
A quick look at the community would have shown that the WHO, Government, NICE, Charities and most of the community refer to it as ME or ME/CFS.
If you’ve been around the block a few times then it probably won’t teach you anything you don’t already know, although reminders are always valuable.
I particularly appreciated the sections on medical gaslighting, imposter syndrome and mobility aids.
One downside for me was the reference to CFS throughout the book. Ironic after including a section on gaslighting to then only use the term that was created by psychologists to deliberately gaslight a whole community of seriously ill people.
A quick look at the community would have shown that the WHO, Government, NICE, Charities and most of the community refer to it as ME or ME/CFS.
July 6, 2026
Didn’t learn anything from this one. From the title I thought it would be discussing different ways of pacing. It basically says rest and get friends and family to help. Not really useful when you’re a fully grown adult and friends and family are busy trying to keep on top of their own lives. Does anyone really need to be told to wear comfortable clothes when travelling and make sure you have enough medication? Chapters of “tips” like this which are basically common sense and anyone with a chronic illness is already doing.
Review of advance copy
4⭐️
A simple and handy overview of spoon theory
A simple and handy overview of spoon theory
February 27, 2026
A great guide for beginners!
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews