Short on Spoons
Here for the hard days and the in-between ones too.
Pause, reflect, and care for your energy without pressure or judgment. Inside you’ll find daily reflections, affirmations, and coping strategies designed for life with chronic illness.
What Is Short on Spoons?
Short on Spoons is more than just a journaling app. It’s a steady companion for life with chronic illness, built around the idea that every bit of energy matters. Whether you’re tracking symptoms, stuck in survival mode, or simply trying to get through the day, this space is designed to meet you where you are. The tools inside help you pause, reflect, and honor your spoons without pressure to fix or force anything. With gentle check-ins, affirmations, prompts, and coping strategies, every feature is here to support your well-being at a pace that respects your limits.
Here’s what we mean by spoons.
Go ahead, try it below.
How many spoons do you have today?
Your spoons are your energy. Tap to choose.
Lite plan includes Spoon Tracker. There’s more to explore when you're ready.
Why We Created It
The Spoon Theory, created by Christine Miserandino, explains what it feels like to live with limited energy. For many people with chronic illness, every small task takes a spoon. Each spoon represents a bit of energy. Things that seem simple to others, like getting dressed, cooking, or replying to a message, can each use up a spoon. Once you're out of spoons, you're out of capacity for the day.
But it isn't just about energy. It's about the emotional toll of constantly choosing what you can and can't do. The guilt. The frustration. The pressure to keep going, even when your body says no.
Short on Spoons was built with this reality in mind. It is not just a place to track your spoons. It is a space to acknowledge your feelings, release the weight of chronic illness, and care for yourself in ways that feel supportive.
Your experience deserves to be seen. You deserve a space that meets you with compassion, honesty, and room to breathe.
Fuel For Your Journey
Short on Spoons is a journaling app designed to help you track your progress, honor your wins, and meet each day with more clarity and self-awareness. With themed folders, journaling becomes a supportive space that nurtures emotional well-being.
At the center of it all is the Spoon Drawer, a place you can return to for daily reflection prompts, affirmations, coping strategies, and breathwork practices. Every feature is created to support you in ways that feel practical, encouraging, and grounded in your real-life experience.
Inside Short on Spoons you’ll find features that meet you where you are. Each one is built to help you care for your energy and navigate life with more ease.
Find clarity each day.
Check in with yourself, release what feels heavy, and notice small shifts that change how you feel.
Reframe your inner voice.
Explore affirmation folders by theme and find words that encourage strength, hope, and balance whenever you need them.
You’re not alone here.
Connect with people who understand. Share challenges, celebrate wins, and receive support in a safe space.
Organize your journey.
Capture your thoughts in themed folders that make it easier to reflect, process, and track your progress over time.
Practical support for tough days.
Access simple techniques to help you navigate daily challenges and care for your energy.
Return to your center.
When overwhelm hits, use grounding practices to steady your spirit, regain balance, and feel rooted again.
Built to meet you where you are, with plans that grow as your needs change.
Flexible plans, cancel anytime, designed for real life.
Pick Your Path
Begin with the basics or access every feature. Your plan, your pace, your path.
Lite (Free) Features
- Track Intentions, Spoons, Mood and Pain in Daily Reflection
- 36 affirmations
- 36 journaling prompts
- Coping Strategies Section with 30 prompts
- 7 supportive coping strategies
- Access to basic breathwork practices
Core Features
- Includes all Lite features
- Full access to tracking in Daily Reflection
- Over 200 affirmations
- 500+ journal prompts
- Access to the Short on Spoons community
- Custom folder organization and add your own affirmations and coping strategies
- 25+ supportive coping strategies
- Record up to 10 minutes of audio per entry
No pressure, explore at your own pace.
Pricing Options
Lite Plan
Start simple. Upgrade anytime if you’d like more.
What's included:
- Track Intentions, Spoons, Mood and Pain in Daily Reflection
- 36 affirmations
- 36 journaling prompts
- Coping Strategies Section with 30 prompts
- 7 supportive coping strategies
- Access to basic breathwork practices
Core Monthly
Unlock it all, one month at a time.
What's included:
- Includes all Lite features
- Full access to tracking in Daily Reflection
- Over 200 affirmations
- 500+ journal prompts
- Access to the Short on Spoons community
- Custom folder organization and add your own affirmations and coping strategies
- 25+ supportive coping strategies
- Record up to 10 minutes of audio per entry
Core Yearly
Prefer fewer payments? Pay once a year.
What's included:
- Significant savings (35% off)
- 7-day free trial included
Free to sign up, upgrade anytime
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes. You can start with our Lite plan at no cost, for as long as you’d like. With Lite you can:
- Track intentions, spoons, mood, and pain in Daily Reflection
- Access 36 affirmations and 36 journaling prompts
- Use the Coping Strategies section with 30 prompts and 7 supportive coping strategies
- Explore basic breathwork practices
It’s a complete foundation to help you build a steady daily practice without pressure.
Core is for when you’re ready to go deeper. It includes everything in Lite plus:
- Full access to tracking in Daily Reflection
- Over 200 affirmations
- 500+ journal prompts
- Access to the Short on Spoons community
- Custom folder organization and the ability to add your own affirmations and coping strategies
- 25+ supportive coping strategies
- Record up to 10 minutes of audio per entry
Core gives you more ways to reflect, reconnect, and feel supported all in one place.
Ember Rise Wellness is dedicated to supporting your mental, emotional, and physical well-being with a whole suite of digital resources. By logging in with SSO, you can move easily between Short on Spoons and other Ember Rise Wellness offerings, all with the same secure account.
Your privacy and security are always our top priority. We never share your credentials with third parties. If you’d like to learn more about Ember Rise Wellness and everything we offer, feel free to visit emberrisewellness.com.
Step by step. Word by word. Your journey unfolds.
Living with chronic illness can feel overwhelming, but you don't have to go through it alone.
Short on Spoons offers space to reflect, reconnect, and take things one small step at a time.
Small steps matter.
