Develop New Coping Skills to Help Manage Blood Sugar

Food isn’t the only thing we reach for when we want to “run-away” emotionally or physically from our lives at that moment. Some turn to alcohol, some to drugs, some to gambling and other addictive activities. These activities start off stimulating the dopamine centers in the brain. We get relief from this spurt of dopamine and it feels good. We tend to keep doing these activities until finally the dopamine spurts slow down and fade away. Now, we need to take more and more to get the same good feeling. Finally, we get to the point where we have to take our “drug” of choice just to relieve the bad feelings.

Any of these will impact your health and especially blood sugar control. If your goal is to better manage your blood sugar levels, you’ll need to develop different ways to cope.

How do you do that? You may be thinking, “if I knew a better way, I’d be doing it!” Well, maybe. First, it depends on the magnitude of what you are trying to avoid or cope with. Some of these coping skills may have developed throughout life, starting at a young age. If the issue is a big one, you might want to avoid dealing with it as much as possible.

Developing new coping skills may help you manage blood sugar better as well as help you deal with the issues in your life that keep you from fully loving and living your life.

Where to start:

1. Start with very small steps. Instead of reaching for an unhealthy food or drink or other unhealthy coping skill, do something to divert your attention to something else like maybe taking a short walk or taking a shower or reaching out to a trusted friend, anything that does not involve eating, drinking or other unhelpful behaviors.

2. Do something that will make you laugh. Watch a funny show or movie or whatever you might do that will make you laugh. Laughter is a great way to relieve tension and helps in coping with chronic illness and stress. It also supports immune function, increases endorphins and much more.

3. Work with your doctor to decide if you need more help from a professional. Digging into painful experiences from the past often requires a safe environment and a trusted professional to guide you.

Think about what you can do to soothe yourself in a healthy way. There are many options here. It comes down to whatever works for YOU!

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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