Coping with diabetes is a journey, not a destination

Sometimes, it’s the past that’s right in front of us. After years of pushing feelings down to keep them at bay, we may find ourselves in a place where we can’t keep using food or alcohol or other mind-numbing activities to avoid the turmoil inside us. Other times, the thing we need to deal with is right now, both positive – a great new job, moving into a new house, a new baby or grandchild – and negative - the loss of a job you loved or grief at the loss of a longtime friend or family member.

It could be coping with the idea you have a chronic disease like diabetes. You may have to adjust many aspects of your life and adapt to new routines to manage or even reverse your diabetes. When too many changes happen in a short amount of time, you may feel overwhelmed and believe you can’t cope. This can lead to low self-esteem, anxiety and depression.

Coping means adjusting to unusual or different demands or stressors. This, in turn, leads to greater effort on your part and that demands using more energy than you used before in your daily life. This type of chronic or semi-chronic stress increases the stress hormones in your body (cortisol) and that will raise your blood glucose levels.

Coping with diabetes is a process, not an event. It is ongoing, even when you have good stable blood sugars and therefore good stable insulin levels. It requires monitoring and paying attention to how you eat, sleep, exercise and so on.

Being flexible with yourself and new coping skills will be better for you and more effective than rigidly trying to control change. You want to be able to use the most appropriate strategy FOR YOU to meet the demands of diabetes or any difficult situation.

Here are three strategies to try:

1. Problem-solving strategies can be very effective, especially if you are motivated to get a handle on what is happening and figure out a course of action.

2. Maintain emotionally supportive relationships with others. Being able to talk to a trusted friend allows you to “get it out” of your head and helps you release some of the pressure you may feel.

3. Taking care of yourself with good sleep, the right amount of physical activity for you, meditation, eating the best foods you can for your diabetes all help you stay centered.

Give these a try. The goal here is to create coping skills you can use in all aspects of your life.

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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