“Fuel bubble” is a metaphor for energy and attention management that incorporates niche construction, interests, psychological safety, self-determination, regulation, and flow states into a carefully woven balance of inputs and outputs that supports an individual to thrive.
He explained that his fuel bubble has several components. It is the physical space, around his desk, as well as the desk itself, set up just the way he likes it. People coming into his space, especially without warning or preparation, use up his available fuel. Even familiar people coming within a certain distance can have this effect. The closer to the desk, the more fuel is used up. Meanwhile the items he chooses to have close, and the way his desk is organised, his way, gives him energy.
When inside his fuel bubble he often connects to others’ fuel bubbles. This can be through virtual connections online, even YouTube videos, but also through real life interaction. Chatting and gaming with friends is important. Equally important is sitting with his guinea pigs alongside. There are times when he can link with multiple fuel bubbles all at the same time. The energy of other bubbles can kick start, sustain or grow the energy he needs for an activity that requires the greatest amount of his attention and focus. This helps explain why ‘body doubling’ is such a useful tool for him. I wonder if it is something like the transfer of kinetic energy, the energy an object possesses by virtue of its movement. The other fuel bubbles are moving, dynamic spaces that themselves create momentum and energy. This energy is then transferred to him, helping him to move and keep focused.
His passions, gaming and 3D computer graphics, are also energy-givers and further important elements of his fuel bubble. Lately, he has also become aware of when these activities can use up available energy. This can happen both through prolonged engagement, and through deep exploration and discovery. His fuel bubble can literally ‘run dry’ because of what he is doing within it. We often talk about ‘listening to our body’ and to the internal physical (interoceptive) signs he notices when energy levels are becoming low. We discuss how to plan to keep energy levels going and what this looks like. This may even mean taking a break from his bubble and looking for different forms of energy, such as having something to eat.
He also describes certain activities, or separate bubbles, within his own fuel bubble as being like ‘blackholes’; once hooked, there is no escape. YouTube videos are a good example. These can cause a slow, insidious shift and drain of energy from one activity to another. The carefully woven balance of energy inputs and outputs is again destabilised. The overall outcome in this case can be one of inertia.
