3 Ways to Handle Holidays with Diabetes

Some people really look forward to the holidays.  We get together with family. We get together with friends.  We have good food, everybody's bringing something and we're happy to see each other. We get to sit down to a great meal, usually with foods that have a lot of memories. They've been passed down through through the ages, and so on.

Then there are, I'm going to say, quite a bit more of us who don't have an experience like that. The holidays are fraught with difficulty, with arguments, and sometimes out and out fights. It's not necessarily comfortable to get together with people. And lots of issues can come up around the holiday.

So add on top of that being diabetic, you can't really eat the same types of foods or as much of the food. You might be checking your blood sugar. People are asking a lot of questions. Why can't you eat mom's special pie or, you know, oh, a little bit is not going to harm you. And they can be very dismissive and it can make it really tough for a person like you with diabetes to manage all of this.

So here are the three ways to handle this.

Number one, plan.

Number two, plan.

Number three, plan.

Okay, so let's go into each one of those.

Number one, plan out your meals before, during and after the holiday meal.

So decide what you can eat and what you can't eat. Can you substitute something that's available during the meal for something that you might've had in a meal at your home. Try as much as you can to eat on your regular schedule. And if that means that dinner is going to be late, maybe you have a snack. Maybe you take some food with you. Maybe you bring all of your food and maybe you eat a little bit at your normal time and a little bit with the family.

So what's important is for you to be able to keep your blood sugar under control as well as many other moving parts, probably, during the meal.

Number two, plan how you're going to deal with uncomfortable situations.

These might be intrusive questions. Why are you doing that? What are you talking about? I don't get diabetes!

And it's going to be true - if you don't have diabetes, you're probably not going to be savvy to the complicated procedures and routines that someone with diabetes needs to follow.

So how are you going to deal with comments and how are you going to deal with questions?

I would say set boundaries and do this ahead of time. Know how far you'll go, maybe how many questions you'll answer or what type of questions you'll answer, or if you'll answer any questions. And also, enlist someone there that you trust. And that can be a support to you.

Three plan, how you're going to deal with your stress.

Because let's face it, it's a stressful situation anyway even at the best of times so not only around the food, but also just the stress and the idea of being there and not having as much control as you would have, if you were home with your own meal, making your own meals.

So have a plan to breathe, be able to step back for a minute, maybe go for a walk and maybe just smile. Before hand, write out some positive affirmations that you can repeat to yourself. Like I can handle this - it's nobody's business - but mine whatever works for you. And repeat that as often as you can. And that will really help.

Try if you're a meditator, try to meditate before and after arriving. And it doesn't have to be a quiet meditative, you know, hour and a half thing. It can be just simply closing your eyes and focusing on your breath. And that will keep you in the present moment. And you won't be worried about what happened in the past or what might happen in the future and just deal with what is right in front of you.

Be prepared, make sure you're clear about your boundaries, and focus on your self care. And these are things that are going to help you reduce your stress.

Of course, check your blood sugar because stress can affect your blood sugar negatively. And you want to make sure as best you can, that you feel as good as you can. And that means having blood sugar that's in good control.

Try to focus on enjoying the meaning of the day - Thanksgiving - and really being grateful for all the good in your life.

I have a 30 day guide to managing or reversing your type two diabetes, which is free, you can download that on the link below. It gets a lot of good information to get started.

Thank you so much for listening.

Dr. Elaine

Download my free 30 Day Guide to Manage or Reverse Type 2 Diabetes 

This information is for educational purposes only and is not intended to replace the medical advice of your doctor or healthcare provider. Please consult your healthcare provider for advice about a specific medical condition.

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