With Diabetes – Stay Positive

Diabetes can bring out the best and the worst in people. We should always look for the best and stay positive in our actions and thoughts. People newly diagnosed can have shock or even wonder how this happened, but should never develop anger or a negative attitude. Doing either may cause significant problems later in the management of their diabetes.

Yes, it takes a big commitment to keep your diabetes in check. Even so, you’ll be more motivated on some days than others, or you wonder how it’s going. Time for a fresh perspective! You can counter these negative thoughts whenever they strike.

The negative - ‘I Don’t Have Time to Exercise.’ Rethink It: Take it 10 minutes at a time. Tell yourself, “I don’t have to do it all at once.”

Exercising doesn't have to take a lot of time. Even a little will give you a burst of optimism and energy. Try 10-minute spurts of activity. You won’t need to change your clothes.

For example, instead of playing solitaire on your phone when you’re in a waiting room, ask the attendant if you have time to take a 10-minute walk around the

parking lot before your appointment.

The negative - ‘What's the Point?’ This is a classic "it’s too late for me" thought. Your goal weight feels always out of reach. Maybe you’ve tried to get there before and have been disappointed.

Rethink It: Bring your thoughts back to the here and now. Mental health experts say most anxiety comes from worrying about the future. The more you focus on what you can do today, the better.

Little steps, over time, will move your health in a positive direction. Ask your doctor to help you set mini-goals along the way to your ultimate goal. You want reachable goals that you can build on. For instance, if you lose a little bit of weight at a time, it can lower your blood sugar levels and blood pressure sooner than you may think.

Start slowly. First, learn to eat more fruits, vegetables, and protein.

The negative - ‘I've Blown It!’ This is the "all is lost" attitude. You didn’t follow your meal plan when you ate a giant plate of macaroni and cheese, and now you think you’ve wrecked all your progress.

Rethink It: Give yourself credit for your good food choices. It could be that you used to overeat all the time, and now you’ve had balanced meals most days this week.

Aim for progress, not perfection. You don't have to give up your favorite foods completely. Just account for the carbs.

Set the setbacks aside. Tell yourself, “I can get back on track,” and the possibilities open back up.

3 More Ways to Shift Negative Thinking

It takes practice to turn your inner voice into your friend instead of your critic. Make it a habit with these tips:

#1. Keep a journal. Write down your thoughts. After about a week, read it to look for patterns.

#2. Write positive messages for yourself, like “I am healthy." "I am strong." "I am managing my health well.” Put them in places you'll see every day -- your wallet, bedside table, near your toothpaste.

#3. Make a point of saying something positive to yourself every time you look in the mirror. “Nice smile!” “My hair looks really good today!” “This is a great color on me!”

You would be surprised what a positive attitude can do for you. Granted, it will not prevent mistakes, but a positive attitude will help you minimize them and return to good habits.

Resilience to Better Manage Diabetes

The concept of resilience is something people with diabetes need and many understand the need. A positive attitude goes hand in hand with resilience and is also part of being resilient.

Resilience is the ability to recover readily from illness, depression, adversity, etc. Characteristics associated with resilience include optimism, an active or adaptable coping style, and the ability to tap into social support.

A study published in the Journal of the American Academy of Nurse Practitioners in 2011 showed that high levels of resilience were significantly related to lower HbA1c levels indicating better glycemic control.

Another study with similar results was published in the British Journal of Health Psychology in 2008. It showed that those with low and moderate resilience levels showed a strong association between rising distress and worsening HbA1c results. Those with high resilience scores didn't show this same association.

Some people are fortunate enough to be born with a high level of resilience, but even if you're not one of them, there are things you can do to boost your resilience. The American Psychological Association offers the following 10 suggestions for building resilience:

• Make connections: Good relationships with close family members, friends or others are important.
• Avoid seeing crises as insurmountable: You can't change the fact that highly stressful events happen, but you can change how you interpret and respond to them. Try looking beyond the present to how future circumstances may be better.
• Accept that change is part of living: Certain goals may no longer be attainable as a result of adverse situations. Accepting circumstances that can't be changed can help you focus on circumstances that you can alter.
• Move toward your goals: Develop some realistic goals. Do something regularly, even if it seems like a small accomplishment that enables you to move toward your goals.
• Take decisive actions: Act on adverse situations as much as you can. Take decisive actions rather than detaching completely from problems and stresses and wishing they would just go away.
• Look for opportunities for self-discovery: People often learn something about themselves and may find that they have grown in some respect as a result of their struggle with loss.
• Nurture a positive view of self: Developing confidence in your ability to solve problems and trusting your instincts helps build resilience. A positive attitude really helps in the confidence factor.
• Keep things in perspective: Even when facing painful events, try to consider the stressful situation in a broader context and keep a long-term perspective. Avoid blowing the event out of proportion.
• Maintain a hopeful outlook: An optimistic outlook enables you to expect that good things will happen in your life. Try visualizing what you want, rather than worrying about what you fear.
• Take care of yourself: Pay attention to your own needs and feelings. Engage in activities that you enjoy and find relaxing. Exercise regularly.

Living with a chronic disease such as diabetes can be stressful and demanding. Arm yourself with the power of resilience and a positive attitude for success.

Diabetes – Does It Define You?

In March 2010 when I wrote about diabetes defining me, I had no idea of how much it defines me and shapes my daily schedule. Blogging about diabetes is my hobby and as such, I enjoy my time learning about different topics. Some are admittedly not about diabetes, and some are on the extreme periphery. Yet I still enjoy reading and learning about many of the topics. Many topics may not appear to be about diabetes, but often they are in one way or another.

Yes, I am aware that we are all involved in other activities and can have non-diabetes related hobbies, but without diabetes, would the hobbies be the same ones. Diabetes is what has driven many to certain types of exercise and other activities that help in our daily exercise. I think without diabetes, many of us would not be in as good health as we are today.

A great blogger and a mentor to me, David Mendosa says, “he thinks a lot about diabetes because that is his job. And since I do think a lot about it, I manage it. ” He continues, “But I hardly think about diabetes all the time. I think a lot more about getting out in nature and being there, hiking and taking pictures. I am also a big reader. And hardly just books about diabetes.” Yes, David, and thankfully we all gain from your writing, and photography. I do have to question, if it were not for diabetes and the management of diabetes with nutrition and exercise; would you be such a great photographer of nature and scenery? Probably – that is your nature.

Some of the defining points that I have noticed in people and especially friends with type 2 diabetes is the attitude about diabetes and the importance of diabetes education. The attitude pervades our daily activity, reminding us to care for ourselves and often care for others. Our daily activity incorporates our feelings about diabetes and how we perceive diabetes in our daily activity.

Then our attitude reflects about how we feel about diabetes management and mixes the education into our management routines. Our diabetes management efforts are reflected in our attitude, daily activities, and how we accept others with diabetes. This is often revealed by people that have diabetes and avoid contact with others that also have diabetes. This desire for diabetes secrecy is the unhealthy side of diabetes that prevents open discussions and often leads to poor diabetes management that is fostered by a poor attitude about diabetes.

So does diabetes define you? To some extent, diabetes may not completely define you, but I think that diabetes does strongly define us and who we are. It affects our attitudes, daily activity, and most importantly our diabetes management, whether it is the good or bad definition. Since diabetes is a 24/7/365 disease with no vacations, it has to affect us and define us to some extent.

When people actually stop and think about it, diabetes does affect the decisions those of us with diabetes make on a daily basis. It affects the foods we choose, which fortunately are healthier for us than the ones we were eating before diagnosis. It affects the restaurants we patronize, the snacks we eat and to a large extent, what we do.

While I could say I don't want my life defined by diabetes, I find it is, and in some ways, this definition is a good thing. It has caused me to be more conscious of my health and to be much more proactive in my health care. While some of my doctors may not be overly happy with my being proactive, most are happy and actually talk with me rather than at me. My diabetes has also forced me to be more social in the way I look at things, and more important, more willing to accept changes. While I am still feisty and ill tempered at times letting my negative side get me into hot water, I am finding myself mellowing and becoming more even in my approach to life.

Finally, thoughts of denial are no longer part of me. While I can't make the same claim about depression, it sneaks in now and then, but even these episodes are lighter and easier to conquer. Life with diabetes is better for me and I am more positive about life.