It has taken my brain 3 sessions and creating my own materials to truly understand the concept of neuro-fatigue through something called the Cognitive Energy Scale. This scale is a bell curve that shows level of functioning from the low end through optimal to another low end due to over stimulation or exertion.

This scale was presented to me as a way to operationalize the concept so that my therapist and I could speak the same language about how I’m feeling. I understood the concept BUT my brain had real trouble with converting this curve into a Likert Scale of 1 to 5 with 3 being high and 1 and 5 being low. Likert scales are linear with one end negative and the other positive.

We had some discussions about whether the numbers would work at all and whether we should change the numbers to something like: Way Under, Under, Optimal, Over, Way Over. That seemed like a good idea. So I went home and started brainstorming. After revisiting my last post with bitmojis and realizing how many there are and how many different emotions they convey, I decided to recreate the CES with bitmojis that represent the different ways I feel at different points on the scale:

I love this for multiple reasons. It’s simply way more fun to look at than a bell curve and it conveys the various feelings that make up the different lows and highs. There’s lots of variety there and sometimes it is hard to explain, but it is very easy to understand the difference between the gas completely empty on the far left and the drowning on the far right. I’ve also added in my strategies so that it’s all on one graphic. My therapist knew immediately what I was trying to convey with this. For example, I have myself relaxing with coffee and reading a book as an optimal feeling/activity when it might seem to someone else like a strategy to return. But I’m only able to read when I have the cognitive energy to do it. So it belongs up there for me personally. I have light yoga in the strategies, but I’d put yoga that requires more energy into the optimal section as well.

This exercise helped me with the numbers concept too. Now I’m ok with 3 being in the green and 1/2, 4/5 being in the red because I see the concept as more of lane assist in driving where the middle is the green/optimal and veering to the left or right takes me into the low zones, with the strategies helping bring me back into the lane. Rather than worrying about the number, I can now envision the pattern over time created by the ratings and what useful information that will be.

I did say that I’m going to be a pain in the ass patient, didn’t I? My therapist has been using the materials for years and said I’m the first patient pushing back on them and forcing her to rethink things. I’m having way too much with cognitive therapy.

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