One of the hardest things to do at times is to be open to other people coming into your world emotionally. It can be exhausting. A lot of people don’t understand what that’s like. You can use the spoons theory, but that on its own requires an explanation. Me being the complete and total genius that I am, I just thought of another way to describe it to someone who doesn’t know what it’s like to be shelled in with your defenses up all of the time.

Introducing: The Elevator Theory**

Think of the emotional shell as an elevator. You’re not rude. You’re in the elevator and there’s plenty of room in there for other people. So you open up the doors to let people in.

Only, this elevator is impatient and the door sensor doesn’t function properly, so you have to stand there and hold the doors open. As much as you’d like to keep them open forever so people can just come and go, but you only have the strength to hold the doors open for so long before you have no choice but to let the doors close until you again have the strength to hold them.

That’s it. That’s the theory. Use it as you will.

*What is Spoon Theory?

**I’m sure I’m not the first person to say or think it, I’ve just never heard it before and it makes lots of sense to me. My apologies to anyone ahead of me on the game.